WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Food

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will take steps to ensure that the meat and dairy products procured by the Government Equalities Office are free range or produced to standards equivalent to those of the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme.

Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office does not procure any meat or dairy products.

Equality Bill

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Henley of 9 March 2010,  Official Report, column 298W, on the Equality Bill, if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's correspondence with the fire and rescue service and other appropriate stakeholders.

Michael Jabez Foster: Further to my answer of 9 March 2010, there is no formal correspondence on this issue involving my Department to place in the Library.
	My officials have discussed extending the socio-economic duty to all fire and rescue authorities with representatives of the Chief Fire Officers Association, Local Government Association, Fire Brigades Union, UNISON, and other interested parties.
	Officials from the Department for Communities and Local Government will be inviting chief fire officers and the chairs of fire and rescue authorities to comment more formally on the proposal in due course.

Hotels

Anne Main: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government Equalities Office spent on hotel accommodation for  (a) Ministers,  (b) special advisers and  (c) civil servants in each of the last five years.

Michael Jabez Foster: Since it's creation on 12 October 2007 the following amounts have been spent on hotel accommodation.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2007-08  2008-09  2009-10( 1) 
			 Ministers and special advisers(2) 900 910 1370 
			 Civil servants 4817 7334 5474 
			 (1 )Figures current to 31 January 2010. (2 )Figures cannot be broken down between the two groups.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The amount spent by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) on interior design in relation to office refurbishments is not separately costed or invoiced so the NIO (including its arm's length bodies and the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland but excluding its agencies and NDPBs) could answer this question only at disproportionate cost.

PRIME MINISTER

Lord Chancellor: Pensions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Prime Minister what pension former Lord Chancellors receive  (a) under the Lord Chancellor's Pension Act 1832,  (b) the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 and  (c) other legislation as a consequence of holding the office of Lord Chancellor; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1070W, and to the answer given by my predecessor (right hon. Tony Blair) to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 19 November 2002,  Official Report, column 93W.

Lord Chancellor: Pensions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Prime Minister if he will take steps to repeal the Lord Chancellor's Pension Act 1832.

Gordon Brown: The Government remain committed to legislating in this area. The current Lord Chancellor has made arrangements to ensure that his pension is no greater than the pension provision for a Secretary of State.

Unite

Grant Shapps: To ask the Prime Minister how many meetings he has had with representatives of Unite in the last 12 months.

Gordon Brown: I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what files his Department holds on  (a) the BBC and  (b) the BBC Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: My Department holds a large number of files relating to its responsibilities in respect of the BBC. To specify them individually would incur disproportionate cost.

Cricket: Broadcasting

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what discussions he had with county cricket clubs and their boards on the proposals in the David Davies Review of free-to-air listed events; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on the playing of cricket at grass roots level of implementation of the proposal to list home Ashes Test matches; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect on the finances of cricket of implementation of the proposal to list home Ashes Test matches; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government's statutory consultation on free-to-air listed events closed on 19 March.
	The evidence received in response to the consultation will form the basis of an economic impact assessment.

Departmental Information Officers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to his Department was of employing press and media officers in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department was of employing such staff in the financial year 1996-97, expressed in current prices.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The cost of employing press officers in 2008-09 was £706,643. This includes press officers working on the Olympics.
	Information for 1996-97 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the five most expensive hospitality events hosted by his Department and its agencies were in the last three years; and what the (a) cost and  (b) purpose of each such event was.

Ben Bradshaw: The relevant five events were the Secretary of State's Christmas reception, December 2007 (£11,366); The Royal Parks' annual stakeholder event, January 2008 (£3,617.05); The Royal Parks' annual stakeholder event, December 2008 (£3,045.98); the Secretary of State's Christmas reception, December 2008 (£4,477); and the Secretary of State's new year reception, January 2010 (£2,997).
	All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance, based on the principles set out in Managing Public Money.

Hotels

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many transactions his Department has made through the Expotel facility to date.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of transactions made by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport during the calendar years 2007 to 2009 through Expotel is shown in the table:
	
		
			  Transactions by DCMS 
			  Calendar year  Number 
			 2009 104 
			 2008 167 
			 2007 148

Newspaper Licensing Agency

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency has paid to the Newspaper Licensing Agency in each of the last 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: The amount paid by the Department and its agency, The Royal Parks, directly to the Newspaper Licensing Agency over the past 10 years is shown in the table:
	
		
			  Cost excluding VAT 
			  £ 
			   Department for Culture, Media and Sport  The Royal Parks 
			 2009-10 7,328.52 2,014.02 
			 2008-09 39,727.43 1,429.68 
			 2007-08 42,152.86 367.94 
			 2006-07 49,765.18 462.40 
			 2005-06 24,330.18 401.93 
			 2004-05 17,634.89 372.80 
			 2003-04 18,401.94 361.15 
			 2002-03 6,734.40 350.83 
			 2001-02 7,661.60 605.92 
			 2000-01 5,125.30 529.10

Royal Parks Agency

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to Baroness Warsi of 17 March 2010,  Official Report, House of Lords, column 188WA, on Government departments: consultancy services, if he will place in the Library a copy of the stakeholder audit and perception research produced for the Royal Parks Agency.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I am arranging for copies of the stakeholder audit and perception research to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Sports: Training

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations Sportscoach UK has received from independent sports teachers and coaches in its review of the UK coaching certificate.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sportscoach UK has received a number of inquiries following the announcement of the UK Coaching Certificate Review.
	The large majority of inquiries have come directly from the governing bodies of sport, with one direct inquiry from an athletics coach.

Swimming: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department has provided to Birmingham to meet the costs of free swimming for  (a) senior citizens and  (b) young people since the inception of its free swimming programmes.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Free Swimming Programme (FSP) is a £140 million package comprising contributions from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department of Health, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Birmingham is one of 261 local councils offering free swimming and has received £248,027 for the over 60s and £574,019 for the under 16s.
	All authorities participating in the FSP for both the over 60s and the under 16s also received an additional share of remaining FSP funds, of which Birmingham was allocated £57,338.

Swimming: Training

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department has allocated to the Amateur Swimming Association for the provision of free swimming teacher training courses in each local authority in the last two years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As part of the Free Swimming Programme (FSP) the Government have allocated £5.8m per annum to the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) for the provision of 100,000 free swimming lessons and for the recruitment of a national network of County Swimming Coordinators.
	The ASA does not provide specific free swimming teacher training courses. However, the ASA has invested £100,840 across 93 local authorities participating in free swimming lessons, which has provided swimming teachers with the opportunity to upgrade to level 2 qualifications.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Catering: Subsidies

Grant Shapps: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much was paid in subsidy towards  (a) food and  (b) alcoholic drink in outlets in the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate in the last year for which information is available.

Nick Harvey: In 2008-09 the overall net cost incurred by the Catering and Retail Service in the Department of Facilities was some £6.1 million, in accordance with the budget and pricing strategy approved by the Finance and Services Committee following advice from the Administration Committee. This represents the difference between income and the cost of the services provided. It is not possible to disaggregate the subsidy for  (a) food and  (b) alcohol.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what  (a) voltage optimisers and  (b) equivalent technologies are used in the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate.

Nick Harvey: There are currently no voltage optimisers or equivalent technologies in use in the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate. However the feasibility of installing this equipment is currently being assessed.

Nurseries

Christopher Chope: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the proposed day nursery at 1 Parliament street will be open to children other than those of hon. Members, Peers and staff employed in Parliament.

Nick Harvey: The Commission decided that the nursery will be open to children aged 0 to five of Members, Members' staff and House of Commons staff. The possibility of opening the nursery to other groups will be considered after the general election when the level of initial interest is clearer.

WALES

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: Nil.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what  (a) voltage optimisers and  (b) equivalent technologies are used within buildings occupied by his Department.

Wayne David: The Wales Office currently does not have voltage optimisers or equivalent technologies installed on its office premises. They will however be considered as part of my Department's sustainable development work in order to reduce electricity consumption.

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on external website design consultants in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T. C. Davies) on 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 643W.

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many complaints his Department received regarding difficulties using its website in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: None.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Petitions

Grant Shapps: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  if she will bring forward proposals to require a Minister of the Crown to present to the House any bill supported in a petition signed by one million or more people eligible to vote;
	(2)  if she will bring forward proposals to require a debate to be held in the House on the subject matter of a petition signed by 100,000 or more people eligible to vote.

Harriet Harman: On 22 February, the House approved recommendations from the Select Committee on Reform of the House of Commons (HC 1117, Session 2008-09) for greater public involvement in the legislative process (Recommendation 42) and for the establishment of a system of petitions requiring debate (Recommendation 43). Further work on the implementation of these recommendations will be required in the next Parliament.
	I also refer the hon. Gentleman to the written answer given by the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey), representing the House of Commons Commission, on 8 February 2010,  Official Report, columns 651-52W, which describes some of the work already being undertaken by the House authorities in these areas.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not separately identify the costs of interior design in relation to office refurbishments from the routine repair and replacement of existing facilities.

Departmental Information Officers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost to his Department was of employing press and media officers in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department was of employing such staff in the financial year 1996-97, expressed in real terms.

Ann McKechin: The cost of employing press and media officers in 2008-09 was £121,033. The Scotland Office was not established until 1 July 1999.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on promotional items carrying the Department's branding and logo in the last five years; and what such items were.

Ann McKechin: The only Scotland Office spend on promotional items carrying the Department's branding and logo in the last five years was for two pull-up backdrops for public events with the Secretary of State's crest, at a total cost of £640.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Fraud: Prosecutions

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Solicitor-General on what date the Serious Fraud Office guidelines on corporate prosecutions  (a) were published and  (b) became effective.

Vera Baird: The document "Guidance on Corporate Prosecutions" was published on 6 January 2010 and came into effect on the same date.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Health Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding has been allocated to UK rehabilitation centres for wounded servicemen and women in each of the last five years; and how much such funding is planned for the next three years.

Kevan Jones: The Defence Medical Services manage an extensive armed forces rehabilitation network which meets a wide range of requirements for rehabilitation treatment, including treatment for operational casualties. The network includes primary care rehabilitation facilities and 13 regional rehabilitation units (RRUs) in the UK, as well as the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court in Surrey, where seriously wounded servicemen and women are normally treated following the completion of their secondary care.
	Funding for the treatment of wounded personnel has been, and will continue to be, made available to match clinical requirements, including surges in casualty numbers. Our future budgetary plans assume a continuing need for additional investment in facilities and staff at Headley Court. Comprehensive financial data for the past five years are not readily available.
	Headley Court has received steadily increased investment in facilities and staff over recent years. The unit's operating costs, including estate management, are about £20.4 million in the current financial year, as compared with some £10.7 million (actual costs) in 2005-06. Significant new facilities brought into service over recent years, at an additional total cost of about £7.5 million, include a 30-bed ward annexe (May 2007), a 58-bed staff and patient accommodation block (January 2009) and the new Centre for Mental and Cognitive Health (opened last spring). For many years the Headley Court estate, which is owned by a charitable trust, has also benefited from additional funding of projects by that trust and other charities.
	In addition to funding the projects just listed, we announced in May 2008 an extra £24 million in capital funding over the next four years for a Headley Court development programme. Over the first two years (i.e. up to April 2010) this funding is being mainly applied to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) contribution to the Help for Heroes rehabilitation complex, which will come into service in a few weeks, and a utilities upgrade for the whole site. Assessment work has also started on a project to re-develop the clinical areas, which would replace and expand the unit's current ward bed capacity (66 beds) and deliver other benefits, with an expected completion date in late 2011. As a prudent contingency measure, we are also providing additional ward accommodation of up to 30 ward beds later this year.
	On 11 February the MOD launched the new Army Recovery Capability in partnership with Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion as well as other service charities. The ARC marks a further step forward in the support to our armed forces and will ensure the best possible care and management is provided to our wounded, sick and injured personnel. The MOD is investing around £30 million over the next four years to fund the Army Recovery Capability. This will include the provision of military and civil service personnel to co-ordinate, manage and deliver the Army Recovery Capability, including the personnel recovery centres.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2010,  Official Report, column 203W, on armed forces: housing, how many requests for repair call outs were made in respect of family housing.

Kevan Jones: I will write to the hon. Member.
	 Substantive answer from Kevan Jones to Willie Rennie:
	In my answer of 29 January 2010 (Official Report, column 1117W) I undertook to write to you with details of how many of the 42,645 repair calls-out received in 2009 by Turner Estates Solutions (TES)-the Regional Prime Contractor for Scotland-related to Service Family Accommodation (SFA).
	As previously explained, TES is responsible for maintaining the majority of the defence estate in Scotland, including SFA, Single Living Accommodation, technical buildings and infrastructure. While the total number of calls received by the TES helpdesk is recorded, the subject of each call is not unless it results in a repair and maintenance work order being raised by the helpdesk. Most calls do result in a work order, as was the case in 42,474 of the 42,645 calls received in 2009.
	The following work orders for SFA were raised by the TES helpdesk in 2009:
	
		
			  Month in 2009  Total Work Orders  Of which the following were Emergency  And the following were Urgent or Routine 
			 January 1,708 230 1,478 
			 February 1,388 200 1,188 
			 March 1,446 187 1,259 
			 April 1,261 137 1,124 
			 May 1,283 123 1,160 
			 June 1,271 98 1,173 
			 July 1,319 103 1,216 
			 August 1,285 97 1,188 
			 September 1,426 108 1,318 
			 October 1,453 153 1,300 
			 November 1,584 182 1,402 
			 December Not yet available Not yet available Not yet available 
			 Total 15,424 1,618 13,806 
		
	
	Emergency orders are raised when repairs are required immediately, such as when there is a heating failure, burst water pipe or a leaking roof. These are typically dealt with in a matter of hours. Typically, Urgent orders are raised when there is a partial loss of essential facilities, such as hot water, and Routine orders for such matters as replacing washers or fixing dripping taps. Urgent orders are normally dealt with in four days against a contractual target of seven. Routine orders are normally dealt with in 11 days, against the target of 20.

Armed Forces: Lost Property

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what armed forces' equipment was reported as  (a) missing and  (b) stolen from operational theatre in the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: A comprehensive list of each item of armed forces' equipment reported as missing or stolen from operational theatres is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 9-10W, on armed forces: Merseyside, how many of the  (a) 131,000 young people and  (b) 25,000 adult volunteers are based in Merseyside.

Kevan Jones: The following table shows the number of cadets and adult volunteers that are members of the Ministry of Defence sponsored Cadet Forces in the boroughs of Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St. Helens and Wirral in March 2010.
	
		
			   Adult volunteers  Cadets 
			 Army Cadet Force 168 1,354 
			 Sea Cadet Corps 268 808 
			 Air Training Corps 270 1,049 
			 Total 706 3,211 
		
	
	These figures include members of the Combined Cadet Forces.

Armed Forces: Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on  (a) how many occasions and  (b) for how long on each occasion search and rescue helicopters at RAF Lossiemouth have been unavailable in the last 12 months; and on what proportion of such occasions this was because of (i) aircrew shortages and (ii) technical problems.

Bill Rammell: Between 1 March 2009 and 28 February 2010 RAF Lossiemouth was unable to provide search and rescue (SAR) capability on 26 occasions due to crew shortages. All of these consisted of 12 hour night-time closures.
	In the same period Lossiemouth SAR helicopters were unavailable on 147 occasions due to technical problems; these periods vary in length from a few minutes to several days. Details of each occasion and the length of time Lossiemouth was listed as being 'off-state' are shown in the following table.
	The extended closure of Lossiemouth between 26 January and 1 February this year was because both helicopters required major repair work. If a helicopter becomes unavailable for any reason, then the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre at RAF Kinloss liaises with other SAR providers to reduce the impact on available cover. This is primarily achieved by ensuring that when one SAR station is expected to be 'off-state' a neighbouring site is fully operational.
	
		
			  Date  Downtime (Hours and minutes) 
			  March 2009  
			 4-5 6.56 
			 9 9 
			 20 20 
			 20 20 
			 21 21 
			 21-22 5.16 
			   
			  April 2009  
			 7 0.36 
			 8-9 09.10 
			 25-26 13.32 
			 28 1.37 
			 28 0.51 
			   
			  May 2009  
			 6 1.19 
			 8-9 15.00 
			 10 9.32 
			 12-13 36.44 
			 14 2.08 
			 15 3.48 
			 15 0.24 
			 18 14.58 
			 19 6.43 
			 19 0.12 
			 19 0.51 
			 20 2.04 
			 21 0.48 
			 23-24 1.16 
			 24 3.03 
			 25 0.47 
			 26-27 24.07 
			 29-30 17.06 
			 31 0.45 
			   
			  June 2009  
			 1 3.13 
			 3-4 24.44 
			 8 3.11 
			 11 0.27 
			 11 2.10 
			 12-13 7.51 
			 14-15 2.37 
			 16 3.53 
			 17 3.57 
			 18-19 7.41 
			 19 5.29 
			 19-20 27.52 
			 22 0.54 
			 29 0.07 
			 29 1.19 
			   
			  July 2009  
			 10 0.02 
			 18-19 10.14 
			 20 5.52 
			 20-21 14.45 
			 26 1.07 
			 29 2.19 
			 31 1.03 
			   
			  August 2009  
			 6 1.03 
			 8 3.14 
			 12 2.52 
			 12 1.37 
			 12 2.48 
			 13 4.18 
			 15-16 6.47 
			 19 3.27 
			 21 0.08 
			 21 2.01 
			 24 3.43 
			   
			  September 2009  
			 1 2.32 
			 7 2.26 
			 10-11 7.38 
			 13 1.51 
			 23-24 6.09 
			 28 0.45 
			 28 1.25 
			   
			  October 2009  
			 4 3.22 
			 8 3.00 
			 21 3.08 
			 22-23 20.33 
			 25 0.01 
			 26 1.04 
			 27-30 97.13 
			 31 1.31 
			   
			  November 2009  
			 5 0.01 
			 5 5.54 
			 7-8 14.06 
			 13 1.33 
			 20 8.01 
			 20-21 12.53 
			 24-25 12.02 
			 26 0.20 
			 30 0.01 
			 30 0.01 
			   
			  December 2009  
			 1 3.32 
			 2-3 14.04 
			 3-5 47.18 
			 5-6 10.08 
			 6-7 14.32 
			 7-8 28.49 
			 10-11 25.18 
			 14 5.12 
			 14 6.42 
			 14 0.29 
			 19 1.59 
			 29 6.08 
			 29-30 2.34 
			 30 3.42 
			   
			  January 2010  
			 7 6.00 
			 12 4.43 
			 14 8.13 
			 14 6.10 
			 14-15 10.39 
			 15 0.49 
			 15 6.48 
			 16 1.04 
			 19 12.04 
			 21-22 19.21 
			 23 1.01 
			 24 2.44 
			 25 2.49 
			 25 1.17 
			 25 0.03 
			 26 January to 1 February 154.09 
			   
			  February 2010  
			 2 13.53 
			 4 0.01 
			 5 2.55 
			 5-6 4.59 
			 6-7 13.32 
			 6-7 9.06 
			 7 0.02 
			 7 2.23 
			 10-11 7.45 
			 11-12 10.58 
			 12-13 31.04 
			 13 1.05 
			 14 3.38 
			 15 4.29 
			 17-18 13.28 
			 20 1.07 
			 21 17.47 
			 21-22 20.12 
			 22 1.28 
			 24-25 16.13 
			 25 7.45 
			 26 3.25 
			 27 0.13 
			 27 2.39 
			 27 1.41 
			 27 1.19 
			 28 4.42 
			 28 0.01 
			 28 2.19

Armed Forces: Training

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the Defence Academy's budget for 2009-10 is allocated to  (a) private finance initiative and  (b) public private partnership contracts; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of each such contract against its objectives; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 10 March 2010
	The Defence Academy's budget for 2009-10 currently spends 28 per cent. on private finance initiatives (PFI) with the Joint Services Command and Staff college and Defence sixth form college and 8 per cent. on its public-private partnership contract (PPP) with Serco for the Shrivenham Campus Integrator Contract.
	 Defence Sixth Form College (DSFC)
	The objectives of DSFC are to provide education services and support services in order to deliver an output of students each contract year qualified to study a technical subject at university, and subsequently to attend officer training or the Defence Engineering Science Group graduate scheme. The DSFC is currently achieving this with 98 per cent. of students who left the college in June 2009 securing entry onto an accredited technical course at a Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme Partner university; additionally the college achieved a 100 per cent. pass rate at 'A' level.
	 Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC)
	The objectives of the JSCSC PFI are to provide education services and support services in order to deliver command and staff training at junior, advanced and higher levels for all three services to a world class standard. An NAO report in 2002 stated that the JSCSC PFI was good value for money. The Customer Executive Board actively examines the rigorous course internal validation process and emerging customer requirements and directs specific changes to courses in order to improve the output in line with the defence mission. This robust evaluation process has confirmed that JSCSC continues to deliver command and staff training at junior, advanced and higher levels for all three services to a world class standard.
	 Shrivenham Campus Integrator Contract (CI)
	The aim of the CI contract is to provide property and facilities management services to the Shrivenham site and assets. The MOD CI contract management team continually assesses, reviews and monitors contract performance against service delivery and contract objectives. The CI contract is monitored via a monthly review board where the MOD decides whether the contractor has met key performance indicators and via the MOD's Supplier and Customer Performance Assessment on a monthly and annual basis.

Armed Forces: Training

Robert Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which countries the armed forces undertake training.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 29 March 2010
	Overseas training is undertaken in a number of countries in order to better prepare our armed forces for the tasks they may face, not only in Afghanistan but in other operations where there may be a need in the future, for example humanitarian relief operations. To do so, there is a need to experience different weather conditions and terrain beyond that offered in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, our armed forces benefit from training with foreign forces and coalition partners in order to ensure that we can effectively operate together.
	The Royal Navy have trained in the following countries during the financial year 2009-10:
	Brunei
	Cyprus
	Denmark
	Egypt
	France
	Indonesia
	Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
	Malaysia
	Norway
	Pakistan
	Singapore
	Sweden
	Turkey
	United Arab Emirates
	USA
	Yemen.
	The Royal Marines have trained in the following countries during the financial year 2009-10:
	Bangladesh
	Brunei
	France
	Indonesia
	Italy
	Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
	Nigeria
	Norway
	Singapore
	United Arab Emirates
	USA.
	The Army have trained in the following countries during the financial year 2009-10:
	Australia
	Belize
	Brunei
	Canada
	Cyprus
	Falkland Islands
	France
	Georgia
	Germany
	Gibraltar
	India
	Jamaica
	Jordan
	Kazakhstan
	Kenya
	Malaysia
	Morocco
	Nepal
	New Zealand
	Norway
	Oman
	Poland
	Romania
	Singapore
	South Africa
	Spain
	Uganda
	USA.
	Finally, The Royal Air Force has undertaken training in the following countries during the financial year 2009-10:
	Belgium
	Belize
	Canada
	Chile
	Cyprus
	Czech Republic
	Denmark
	Egypt
	Falkland Islands
	France
	Germany
	Gibraltar
	Italy
	Jordan
	Kenya
	Malaysia
	Morocco
	Norway
	Oman
	Portugal
	Singapore
	Spain
	Sweden
	Turkey
	United Arab Emirates
	USA.

Armed Forces: Training

Robert Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which national military forces receive training in the UK.

Bill Rammell: In the last full financial year 2008-09, for which data are available, representatives from 105 national military forces commenced training in the UK.
	Countries commencing training at defence establishments in the UK 2008-09:
	Afghanistan
	Albania
	Algeria
	Argentina
	Australia
	Austria
	Azerbaijan
	Bahamas
	Bahrain
	Bangladesh
	Barbados
	Belarus
	Belgium
	Belize
	Bermuda
	Bosnia-Herzegovina
	Botswana
	Brazil
	Brunei
	Bulgaria
	Canada
	Chile
	China
	Colombia
	Congo Republic
	Czech Republic
	Democratic Republic of Congo
	Denmark
	Egypt
	Estonia
	Ethiopia
	Finland
	France
	Gambia
	Georgia
	Germany
	Ghana
	Greece
	Hungary
	India
	Indonesia
	Iraq
	Israel
	Italy
	Jamaica
	Japan
	Jordan
	Kazakhstan
	Kenya
	Republic of Korea
	Kuwait
	Latvia
	Lebanon
	Libya
	Lithuania
	Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
	Malawi
	Malaysia
	Malta
	Moldova
	Mongolia
	Morocco
	Namibia
	Nepal
	Netherlands
	New Zealand
	Nigeria
	Norway
	Oman
	Pakistan
	Occupied Palestinian Territories
	Papua New Guinea
	Peru
	Poland
	Portugal
	Qatar
	Republic of Ireland
	Romania
	Rwanda
	Saudi Arabia
	Senegal
	Serbia
	Sierra Leone
	Singapore
	Slovakia
	Slovenia
	South Africa
	Spain
	Sri Lanka
	Sudan
	Sweden
	Switzerland
	Syria
	Tanzania
	Thailand
	Tonga
	Trinidad and Tobago
	Turkey
	Uganda
	Ukraine
	United Arab Emirates
	USA
	Uruguay
	Yemen
	Zambia
	We also provided language training to the Kosovo Security Force in the UK during 2008-09. Given this is not a military organisation, it has not been included in the above list.

Cluster Munitions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will ensure that US cluster bombs held in the UK are removed forthwith;
	(2)  by what mechanism his Department will ensure enforcement of the agreement that US cluster bombs should be removed from the UK.

Bill Rammell: The United States inventory of weapons is declared annually to the Ministry of Defence who ensure that all weapons are appropriately licensed and stored.
	The US has identified the cluster munitions on UK territory as exceeding their worldwide operational planning requirements. These cluster munitions will be removed from sites in the UK in 2010 and from all UK territories by 2013, as declared by Baroness Kinnock during the Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Bill Second Reading on 8 December 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, column 1020.

Defence Academy

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has for the recruitment and training of linguists following the closure of the research and assessment facility at the Defence Academy.

Bill Rammell: The research and assessment facility in the Defence Academy was not involved in the recruitment or training of linguists for the MOD. No change in procedures will therefore be required.

Defence: Expenditure

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer from the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Banbury of 17 March 2010,  Official Report, column 869, on what date he was briefed that defence spending had not risen in real terms in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The briefings that I have received on this issue as Secretary of State have stated that there has been a sustained increase in the Defence budget since 1997, and that every spending review since that date has provided for a real terms rise in core defence spending over the period it covered.

Defence: Finance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the real term change was in the defence budget for  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2006-07 compared with the previous year.

Bob Ainsworth: In 2004-05 there was a real term increase on the previous year of 0.72 per cent. (2003-04 £29.08 billion up to £29.29 billion).
	In 2006-07 there was a real term increase on the previous year of 0.87 per cent. (2005-06 £29.97 billion up to £30.23 billion).
	These figures were calculated using the 'near cash' element of the Defence budget as laid out in the spending review settlements, and converted to 2008-09 prices using the HM Treasury GDP deflator.
	These figures do not include the net additional cost of military operations, which are not met from the Defence core budget, but funded from the Reserve.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the five most expensive hospitality events hosted by his Department and its agencies were in the last three years; and what the  (a) cost and  (b) purpose was of each.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 29 March 2010
	Information on official entertainment by event is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	We use official entertainment to pursue British security policy interests, facilitate a wider public understanding of the armed forces, and enhance professional contacts within the UK and with other nations.
	Expenditure on official entertainment must be modest and is incurred according to business need. It is subject to prior approval and compliance with departmental rules and the principles of propriety set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury's handbook on Regularity, Propriety and Value for Money.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has incurred expenditure on  (a) foreign exchange derivatives and  (b) consulting on currency hedging strategies in each of the last three years.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) incurred expenditure as a result of foreign exchange derivatives in 2007-08 but this has been more than offset by gains in both 2008-09 and 2009-10. In the same period the MOD did not incur any expenditure on consultancy support for its currency hedging strategy.

Future Large Aircraft

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2010, how much of the £848 million for the A400M project has been spent under each cost category.

Quentin Davies: holding answer 12 March 2010
	 The expenditure on A400M to date is broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Resource departmental expenditure limit (RDel) (total £5 million) 
			   £ million 
			 Assessment phase 2 
			 Development/Production 3 
		
	
	
		
			  Capital departmental expenditure limit (CDel) (total £843 million) 
			   £ million 
			 Development phase 545 
			 Production phase 298

HMS Vanguard: Accidents

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to Lord Dykes of 16 March 2010,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column 167WA, on nuclear-powered submarines, if he will publish a summary of the report on the collision between HMS Vanguard and FS Le Triomphant, redacting the elements relating to classified operational detail.

Bob Ainsworth: It is the Government's policy not to disclose details of submarine operations. I am therefore withholding all particulars of the collision between HMS "Vanguard" and FS "Le Triomphant" on the grounds of national security.

Land Mines: Bomb Disposal

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with charities working to dispose of landmines.

Bill Rammell: Officials at the Department for International Development regularly meet with the HALO Trust and the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) which are the two UK based charity organisations which are funded as part of DFID's global demining programme. These discussions focus on evaluation and monitoring of ongoing programmes in several countries.
	The most recent ministerial contact was by my the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire, South (Mr. Alexander). He met with MAG in September last year when he visited their new Manchester offices as part of a visit to the region.

Lionel Crabb

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  for what reason the Prime Minister has retained portions of records ADM 1/29241 under section 3.4 of the Public Records Act 1958; if he will discuss with the Prime Minister a review of this decision with a view to releasing the records to the National Archives; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  for what reason his Department has retained portions of records ADM 1/29241 under section 3.4 of the Public Records Act 1958; if he will review this decision with a view to releasing the records to the National Archives; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: These extracts were retained by the Ministry of Defence in 2006 on national security grounds. My officials have looked again at the information in question in recent days and have reaffirmed that earlier decision.

RAF Menwith Hill

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the single-storey extension to the bermed earth building at the base at Menwith Hill will be operational; and for what purposes it is to be used.

Bill Rammell: The estimated construction completion date for the single-storey extension is January 2011, with internal works to follow thereafter. This building will form part of the RAF Menwith Hill Operations Complex.

Territorial Army: Pay

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  for what reasons payment of Territorial Army annual training bonuses has been deferred to May 2010;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the savings which he made by deferring the payment of annual Territorial Army training bonuses to May 2010;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect on the  (a) morale,  (b) retention and  (c) personal finances of members of the Territorial Army of deferral of payment of annual training bonuses to May 2010.

Bill Rammell: There has been no deferral of the Territorial Army (TA) annual bounty.
	Bounties are paid annually to all those who have qualified for a Certificate of Efficiency. The certificate confirms that the appropriate levels of attendance, training and performance have been met.
	The certificates are produced at the beginning of April and cover the previous 12-month period. In the majority of cases individuals receive payment by the end of the same month. This is the expectation for 2010. In a small amount of cases, where the certificate is delayed, payment may not be received until May.

United States Africa Command

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with the US administration on the basing of AFRICOM at the Joint Intelligence Operations Centre at Molesworth.

Bill Rammell: US personnel at RAF Molesworth currently provide intelligence analysis capabilities for a number of organisations, including US Africa Command. The US continue to examine the future basing options for the headquarters of Africa Command and no formal discussions have taken place regarding RAF Molesworth.

TRANSPORT

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 3 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1192W, on automatic number plate recognition, if he will place in the Library copies of the request and approval documents relating to each of the local authorities using automatic number plate recognition for civil parking and civil traffic enforcement.

Sadiq Khan: Automatic number plate recognition is not a requirement for the certification of CCTV equipment used for civil traffic enforcement and any use of that technology is incidental to certifications granted.
	Applications for the certification of equipment must demonstrate compliance with The Bus Lanes (Approved Devices) (England) Order 2005 or The Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (Approved Devices) (England) Order 2007. They are generally technically complex, voluminous and contain information on technology that is commercially sensitive. It is not appropriate, or always practicable, to publish them.
	A list of all the certifications that have been granted is maintained on the Department's website. I have arranged for the current list to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Aviation: Security

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether he discussed with the Secretary of State for Health the potential health implications of the use of body scanners at airports.

Paul Clark: No ministerial discussions have been held with the Department of Health. However, the Health Protection Agency has provided a risk assessment covering the use of those security scanners which use ionising radiation. This has been made publicly available on the Department for Transport's website and placed in the Library of the House.

Aviation: Security

John Leech: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether any  (a) individuals and  (b) categories of British citizen will be exempt from undergoing full body scans when passing through airport security.

Paul Clark: All passengers departing from UK airports are subject to search, and airport authorities are entitled to refuse access to restricted (i.e. airside) areas to any persons not willing to be screened. If a passenger is selected for screening by a security screening device and refuses to go through, then they will not be able to travel.
	A small number of individuals are exempt from certain screening procedures in line with international protocols.

Cycling: Accidents

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many cyclists have been  (a) injured and  (b) killed in road accidents in London in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) 2009 and (iv) 2010 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The number of pedal cyclists injured and killed in reported road accidents in London in 2007 and 2008 are shown in the following table. Data is not available yet for 2009 and 2010. Data for 2009 will be published in June 2010. Similarly, data for 2010 will be published in 2011.
	
		
			  Injured and killed pedal cyclist casualties in reported road accidents in London: 2007-08 
			   Injured  Killed  All casualties 
			 2007 2,955 15 2,970 
			 2008 3,187 15 3,202 
		
	
	Although the overall number of reported pedal cycle casualties increased slightly in 2008, this is against a background of a general upward trend in cycling traffic.
	Measures to make roads safer for cyclists include providing better infrastructure, funding cycle training, improved training and testing for motorists and encouraging cyclists to protect themselves, by making themselves conspicuous and by wearing a safety helmet.
	Other initiatives such as anti drink/drug-drive and speeding campaigns, the provision of 20 mph zones and new measures on goods vehicles mirrors can also contribute to cyclist safety.

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many complaints his Department received regarding difficulties using its website in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: The primary channel for receiving and addressing complaints and inquiries about all aspects of the Department's website is the:
	webmasterdft@dft.gsi.gov.uk
	email address.
	Inquiries received through the webmasterdft@dft. gsi.gov.uk email account are not categorised-they typically include requests for help to locate particular content, to assist with the downloading and use of files, including binary files and broader policy enquiries which are sent on to the appropriate policy official for response.
	Further sorting and classifying of enquiries to identify specific and direct complaints during the period 2008-10 cannot be done without incurring disproportionate costs. Data is not retained prior to 2008.

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department spent on external website design consultants in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: Tables have been placed in the Libraries of the House showing websites operated over the last three years and how much has been spent on external website design consultants for website design work. Costs provided are total external costs and do not include internal staff costs.
	Where costs are not available this is due to a number of reasons; either the site has not existed for the past three years; the costs are part of a much larger contract and cannot be itemised; or the costs cannot be calculated without incurring disproportionate costs.
	The Department for Transport measures website costs in line with the guidance issued by the Central Office of Information, 'Measuring website costs (TG128)', starting in this financial year 2009-10, with collation of data at year end.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the five most expensive hospitality events hosted by his Department and its agencies were in the last three years; and what ( a) the cost and  (b) purpose of each was.

Chris Mole: The information requested cannot be answered except at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Senior Civil Servants

David Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many grade 2 civil servants are employed in his Department.

Chris Mole: Grade 2 as a description of staff level is no longer in general use. Senior civil servants in similar sized roles are now referred to as being in pay band 3 and usually have the job title of director general. The Department for Transport has six full-time equivalents currently employed at this level.

East Coast Railway Line

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when the Secretary of State decided not to impose penalties on National Express as a consequence of its defaulting upon the East Coast rail franchise.

Chris Mole: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 29 March 2010,  Official Report, column 760W.
	As a consequence of an event of default under its contract, the National Express East Coast rail franchise was terminated on 13 November 2009. In terminating the franchise, the Secretary of State exercised his contractual rights under the Franchise Agreement with National Express East Coast.
	The termination of this franchise also created a default under the terms of National Express East Anglia franchise and the Secretary of State notified National Express East Anglia on 25 November 2009 that its franchise would terminate on 31 March 2011. Without this default, it could have been extended to 2014.

Network Rail: Industrial Disputes

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what date  (a) he and  (b) departmental officials last held discussions with Network Rail on its trade dispute with the RMT union.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport receives regular progress updates from Network Rail on a range of issues including its trade dispute with the RMT union.

Network Rail: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions he has had with Network Rail on the effects on  (a) efficiency and  (b) safety levels of its planned (i) staff reductions and (ii) new working practices.

Chris Mole: Staffing is an operational matter for Network Rail. Network Rail is required by the independent Office of Rail Regulation to deliver substantial efficiency savings and improvements for the operation, maintenance and renewal of the network over the next five years.
	Ministers have been advised of Network Rail's proposed restructuring of its maintenance function in the course of routine meetings with the company. Network Rail will seek to minimise compulsory redundancies, and to achieve most job losses through targeted voluntary redundancies and redeployment of existing staff into other roles of the business-as part of revised working practices.
	The Office of Rail Regulation is responsible for assessing that Network Rail's activities and change programmes do not put at risk the safety of passengers and the workforce. Ministers have regular discussions with the Office of Rail Regulation, which includes these subjects.
	The Office of Rail Regulation is also responsible for monitoring Network Rail's delivery of its regulated requirement to improve the safety of the railway by 3 per cent. by 2014.
	On 3 March the Office of Rail Regulation announced the outcome of its review of Network Rail's proposals for the restructuring of its maintenance function. It made clear that it supports Network Rail's goal of introducing greater efficiency into its maintenance practices in ways that sustain and improve safety.

Railways: Accidents

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many  (a) collisions and  (b) near misses between trains and road vehicles on level crossings have resulted in disruption to rail services in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: Collisions between trains and road vehicle on the railways are reported to the independent Office of Rail Regulation under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR 95).
	The Office of Rail Regulation has provided the information shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Collisions between trains and road vehicles at level crossings 2005-08 
			   Number 
			 2005 20 
			 2006 13 
			 2007 16 
			 2008 22 
			 2009 (1)- 
			 (1) Information not yet published 
		
	
	Near misses are not reportable under Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Office of Rail Regulation data on service disruption resulting from railway incidents would include disruption due to pedestrian-train collisions, acts of vandalism and cable theft, and cannot be disaggregated to the level of detail requested. However, it is likely that all collisions between trains and road vehicles at level crossings will have caused some degree of disruption to rail services.

Railways: Accidents

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many  (a) drivers and  (b) passengers of (i) trains and (ii) vehicles have been (A) injured and (B) killed in collisions on level crossings between trains and road vehicles in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: Accidents and incidents on the railways are reported to the independent Office of Rail Regulation under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR 95).
	The Office of Rail Regulation has provided the information shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Persons injured/killed in road vehicle-train collisions on level crossings 2005-08 
			   Trains  Road vehicles 
			   Drivers  Passengers  Road vehicle occupants( 1)  (passengers/drivers) 
			   Injured  Killed  Injured  Killed  Injured  Killed 
			 2005 1 0 5 0 4 6 
			 2006 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 2007 1 0 0 . 0 3 4 
			 2008 2 0 0 0 6 3 
			 2009 (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- (2)- 
			 (1) Road vehicle occupants are not categorised as driver or passenger. (2) Information not yet published

Railways: Bus Services

Willie Rennie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to train operating companies of rail replacement  (a) buses and  (b) coaches in each of the last five years.

Chris Mole: The costs of providing rail replacement buses and coaches are not specifically monitored by the Department for Transport. These costs form part of train operating companies' normal operating expenditure, and are not individually reported.

Railways: Chesham

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of properties in Chesham and Amersham constituency likely to be affected by the proposed High Speed Two route.

Chris Mole: holding answer 16 March 2010
	The effects of the recommended route on properties will be made available as part of the Appraisal of Sustainability (AoS), on which work is continuing. The AoS will be published later in the year in order to inform the formal public consultation which we expect to launch in the autumn. The Government will write to the owners of relevant properties at this time. Additional design work will be required to refine HS2 Ltd.'s proposals, and this would be likely to reduce the number of properties affected.

Railways: Construction

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to his contribution of 23 March 2010,  Official Report, column 60WH, on High Speed 2 (Buckinghamshire), what steps his Department has taken to try to address concerns of individuals and organisations needing financial assistance to respond to the consultation; and what means his Department has established for such concerns to be raised.

Sadiq Khan: Pursuant to my answer during that debate, at which I said we would try to address any such concerns raised directly with the Department for Transport, I can confirm that we have not yet received any such representations from individuals and organisations needing financial assistance to respond to the autumn consultation.
	HS2 Ltd. has been asked to carry out pre-consultation engagement with a range of stakeholders, such as local authorities and representative groups, to inform effective communication of the autumn consultation and its materials, particularly in areas that are likely to be affected by the development proposals. This will provide further opportunity for these bodies to raise issues with the Department.

Roads: Accidents

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many pedestrians have been  (a) killed and  (b) injured in accidents on roads in Greater London in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) 2009 and (iv) 2010 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The number of pedestrians killed and injured in reported road accidents in London in 2007 and 2008 are shown in the following table. Data are not available yet for 2009 and 2010. Data for 2009 will be published in June 2010. Similarly, data for 2010 will be published in 2011.
	
		
			  Killed and injured pedestrian casualties in reported road accidents: London, 2007-08 
			   Killed  Injured  All casualties 
			 2007 109 5,151 5,260 
			 2008 95 5,036 5,131 
		
	
	Measures to make roads safer for pedestrians include providing better infrastructure, promoting child pedestrian training, improved training and testing for motorists and advice and guidance to pedestrians in The Highway Code on crossing the road and making themselves conspicuous.
	Other initiatives such as anti drink/drug-drive and speeding campaigns, the provision of 20 mph zones can also contribute to pedestrian safety.
	We are also promoting wider use of 20 mph zones in residential areas and roads with high cycle and pedestrian activity and we are intending to publish revised guidance for local highway authorities.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Philip Dunne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to his Department's press release of 24 March 2010, on Highways Agency highways maintenance planning, what assessment he has made of the effect of such plans on levels of payments to local authorities for jointly contracted highways work.

Chris Mole: The Highways Agency has been set a target to achieve annual efficiencies of £90 million from its maintenance and renewals budget through improved contracting, better commercial management and longer term planning. Achievement of these efficiencies does not assume additional joint contracting for highways works with local authorities.

Rolling Stock

Paul Rowen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport for how many additional carriages for (a) the Northern Trains fleet and  (b) the total fleet contracts have been let under his Department's franchises since April 2009.

Chris Mole: The number of additional carriages contracted for Northern Rail since 1 April 2009 are 18. The Department for Transport is currently in discussions with Northern Rail about providing further additional carriages. For other franchises let by the Department for Transport, the number of additional carriages contracted are 188 for National Express East Anglia; 41 for First Capital Connect; 30 for First Great Western; and eight for East Midlands Trains. In addition 28 additional vehicles for London Midland were contracted on 31 March 2009.

Rolling Stock

Paul Rowen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department has taken to meet the commitments in the 2007 Rail White Paper in relation to carriages for Northern Trains; and whether those commitments will be met without new train orders.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has recently announced an agreement with Northern Rail to add vehicles to its rolling stock fleet.
	The £300 million programme of electrification announced for the North West will allow for the cascade of electric rolling stock from Thameslink. This will provide additional capacity, on well as improving the speed and reliability of services. The Department is also currently finalising new forecasts of passenger demand, which it will use to assess the requirement for any further additional rolling stock.

Rolling Stock

Paul Rowen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of carriage provision for passengers from Greater Manchester on  (a) Northern Rail and  (b) Transpennine services; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has commissioned a study of current and forecast demand for rail passenger services in the North of England cities. Final results are expected shortly.

Waterloo Station

Susan Kramer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton of 18 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 271-73W, on Waterloo station, what the timetable is for the  (a) physical integration with the domestic terminal and  (b) return to operational use of platforms 20 to 24 of Waterloo International Terminal.

Chris Mole: Work to convert platform 20 of Waterloo International for domestic usage has been completed.
	Discussions continue between the Department for Transport, Network Rail and Stagecoach South West Trains to agree the most appropriate way to integrate the remainder of the former Eurostar platforms at Waterloo International terminal for use by domestic train services.
	The Office of Rail Regulation issued a letter to Network Rail on 3 September 2009 which included specific requirements in respect of the use of Waterloo and Waterloo International stations as part of the Control Period 4 (2009-14) enhancements delivery plan for Network Rail. A copy of this letter is available at:
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/enh-cp4dp-030909.pdf

Waterloo Station

Susan Kramer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what consideration the Secretary of State has given to the  (a) sale and  (b) transfer of Waterloo International station to Network Rail; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: The British Railways Board (Residuary) Ltd. is currently exploring a number of options for the future of Waterloo International regarding both the arrangements required to support the return of passenger services to the former Eurostar platforms and the commercial development of the space below.

Waterloo Station

Susan Kramer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether any application to integrate platforms 20 to 24 of Waterloo station into the domestic terminal would require planning consent from the London borough of Lambeth.

Chris Mole: The works required to bring back the former Eurostar platforms at Waterloo station do not require planning consent from the London borough of Lambeth.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Badgers: Crime

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to tackle the persecution of badgers since this was set as one of the wildlife crime priorities for 2009-10; and what plans he has to increase the level of protection for badgers.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In addition to the general protection afforded to wildlife, badgers are specifically protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Badgers and their setts are fully protected. I have no plans to alter this protection.
	DEFRA, together with the Home Office, is the main source of funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Progress on action to tackle the badger persecution wildlife crime priority is set out in the NWCU's tactical assessment (February 2010). The overall objective is to improve and increase the recording of incidents, crimes and intelligence for badger persecution; and improve the investigation process and increase awareness of badger persecution across the UK. Several meetings of the priority delivery group have taken place and prevention, intelligence and enforcement work taking place. Details of the specific actions being taken cannot be disclosed as they relate to restricted enforcement and intelligence information.

Departmental: Location

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on the relocation of staff from posts in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point constituency in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: DEFRA does not keep electronic information to show where individuals have relocated from. We would therefore need to locate every DEFRA relocation file over the last five years and establish the old home location. This means that collated data cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate Defra Estates has made of the extent of the use of  (a) voltage optimisers and  (b) equivalent technologies within buildings occupied by (i) central Government departments and (ii) the entire Government estate since the publication of the Delivery Plan for Sustainable Procurement and Operations on the Government Estate.

Dan Norris: holding answer 29 March 2010
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has made no such estimate, but can confirm that it has installed a total of 33 voltage optimisers/equivalent technologies across its estate. 32 of the units are powerPerfector voltage optimisers and one is an EMS Powerstar.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) voltage optimisers and  (b) equivalent technologies are used within buildings occupied by his Department.

Dan Norris: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has installed a total of 33 voltage optimisers/equivalent technologies across its estate. 32 of the units are powerPerfector voltage optimisers and one is an EMS Powerstar.

Departmental Lost Property

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what property has been recorded as (a) lost and  (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the replacement of that property.

Dan Norris: Items of DEFRA property lost or stolen are all recorded as 'losses'. The following table shows losses with an estimated value (at the time of loss) of over £50. Figures are for 2009-10 to date:
	
		
			  Description  Number  Estimated value (£) 
			 BlackBerrys 6 1,238 
			 Cameras 1 75 
			 Laptops 33 12,750 
			 Mobile telephones 3 220 
			 Projectors 3 2,150 
			 Monitors 7 654 
			 Tom Tom Device 2 200 
			 Desktop PC 4 1,050 
			 Binoculars 2 200 
			 Total  18,537 
		
	
	All IT equipment is the property of IBM which has provided outsourced IT services to DEFRA since October 2004. Therefore, under the service charge arrangements, IT items do not have a direct cost to the department if lost or stolen.

Departmental Marketing

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip Northwood of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 103W, on departmental marketing, how much his Department and agencies have spent on advertising, marketing, public relations and publicity in relation to the  (a) Real Help Now and  (b) Building Britain's Future themed campaign to date.

Dan Norris: The Department contributed around £150,000 to a cross-government fund for Real Help Now activity in January 2009.
	In 2009-10 FY, DEFRA also badged already planned campaigns on resource efficiency under Real Help Now. The total media expenditure for these campaigns was £289,337.
	There was no spend on campaigns relating to Building Britain's Future.
	Detailed spend by DEFRA agencies is not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Consultation

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the title is of each consultation document his Department has published in each year since its creation; and what the date of  (a) publication,  (b) closure and  (c) Government's response was in each case.

Dan Norris: The Department only holds records of consultations centrally dating from 2006. A table showing the title and date of publication and closure of each consultation has been placed in the House Library. Information related to consultations closed prior to this period could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
	DEFRA also publishes this information alongside the Government's response to each consultation (issued within the last year) on its website:
	www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/index.htm

Departmental Sick Leave

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days absence through illness staff in his Department have had in each month since 1997.

Dan Norris: The information requested could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost, therefore we have supplied data which shows the total and average working days lost through sickness in DEFRA and its Agencies in each year since 2002. Data for earlier years are not available. The end dates of the 12-month periods vary between years due to the way that data were collected at the time. Data to the 12 months ending 31 December 2009 are given as information to 31 March 2010 are not yet available.
	
		
			  12 months ending  Total working days lost  Number of staff  Average working days lost 
			 31 December 2002 120,800 14,209 8.5 
			 31 December 2003 121,200 13,846 8.8 
			 31 December 2004 107,000 13,857 7.7 
			 31 December 2005(1) 102,000 12,537 8.1 
			 31 March 2007 92,600 12,294 7.5 
			 31 March 2008 89,100 11,185 8.0 
			 31 March 2009 80,100 10,066 8.0 
			 31 December 2009 79,137 9,970 7.9 
			 (1) Excludes Central Science Laboratory for which data is not available. 
		
	
	DEFRA and its Agencies closely monitor sickness absence in line with their sickness absence policies and by benchmarking sick absence rates against Cabinet Office figures for the civil service. Policies and good working practices are in place to reduce both long term and frequent short term sick absences. These include facilitating timely employee access to occupational health advice, medical or wellbeing interventions. Additionally, managers hold return-to-work interviews to discuss employees' reasons for absence, including any work-related issues connected with their absence. Where necessary, action plans will be agreed to improve employees' attendance at work.

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the travel guidelines issued to staff of each of his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Dan Norris: The Department does not hold this information centrally. Its Agencies and NDPBs issue their own travel guidance to staff. We have requested that they forward their travel guidelines to you.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will extend the terms of reference of his Department's consultation on dangerous dogs legislation to include policy on dog breeding.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The public consultation currently being conducted by the Home Office and DEFRA is aimed at considering whether current dangerous dogs legislation adequately protects the public. We will consider any suggestions for legislative changes that will help better protect the public from dangerous dogs. However, the health and welfare issues surrounding dog breeding have recently been considered by Professor Sir Patrick Bateson in his independent inquiry into dog breeding along with the Associate Parliamentary Group on Animal Welfare (APGAW) in their report into pedigree dog breeding. As we are currently considering both reports and need to gauge how the wider veterinarian and scientific communities respond to their recommendations, it would not be appropriate to extend the consultation on dangerous dogs to include health and welfare issues surrounding dog breeding.

Flood Control: Finance

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on flood protection measures in  (a) England,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) City of York constituency in (i) cash and (ii) real terms in each year since 2000.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him 9 December 2009,  Official Report, column 377W.
	Figures have not been given in real terms as this would not give a meaningful comparison. A great deal of the programme is capital and the inflation rate on this would not have been in line with the retail price index.

Heathrow Airport: Exhaust Emissions

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mean annual concentration was of  (a) nitrous oxides,  (b) nitrogen dioxide,  (c) concentrations of particulates (PM10),  (d) ozone,  (e) carbon monoxide,  (f) sulphur dioxide and  (g) carbon dioxide recorded by monitoring stations in the vicinity of Heathrow Airport in each year from 2000 to 2009.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Air pollutants are monitored throughout the UK via the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN). Information on the AURN can be found on the Air Quality website at:
	www.airquality.co.uk
	Available data on the mean annual concentration of pollutants around Heathrow are given in the following table.
	Concentrations of CO2 are not subject to air quality monitoring-it is not an air quality pollutant and, therefore, not routinely monitored to identify small-scale variations in concentrations. Trends in background concentrations of CO2 are measured at Mace Head Research Station on the west coast of Ireland in order to monitor long-term trends in this important greenhouse gas.
	
		
			  Monitoring station and pollutant monitored 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Hillingdon SO2 microgrammes m(-3) 10 9 7 8 3 3 2 2 - - 
			 Harlington CO mg. m(-3) - - - - 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 - - 
			 Hillingdon CO Mg. m(-3) 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 - - 
			 Harlington NO microgrammes m(-3) - - - - 22 22 18 26 19 21 
			 Hillingdon NO microgrammes m(-3) 61 49 44 50 43 40 38 39 39 41 
			 Harlington NO2 microgrammes m(-3) - - - - 38 38 37 37 35 36 
			 Hillingdon NO2 microgrammes m(-3) 48 46 45 54 47 45 49 45 51 54 
			 Harlington NOx microgrammes m(-3) - - - - 72 72 65 77 64 68 
			 Hillingdon NOx microgrammes m(-3) 141 121 113 129 112 106 107 105 111 116 
			 Harlington O3 microgrammes m(-3) - - - - 33 32 37 32 35 35 
			 Hillingdon O3 microgrammes m(-3) 22 26 26 28 27 26 28 30 31 26 
			 Harlington PM10 microgrammes m(-3) - - - - 26 25 27 25 24 16 
			 Hillingdon PM10 microgrammes m(-3) 25 26 25 30 27 27 29 26 - - 
			  Notes:  1. SO2: Data capture 72 per cent. in 2007. Data capture  75 per cent. in all other cases.  2. CO: Data capture 17 per cent. for London Harlington in 2008, 69 per cent. for London Hillingdon in 2007. Data capture  75 per cent. in all other cases.  3. PM10: Data capture 73 per cent. for London Harlington in 2009, data capture  75 per cent. in all other cases, 2000-08 data are TEOM measurements x 1.3 for conversion to indicative gravimetric equivalent. 2009 Harlington data are FDMS-TEOM (April onwards).  4. Due to re-structuring of the AURN in 2007 we do not have data for Hillingdon carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and PM10 in 2008 and 2009. Harlington was established as a new AURN site in 2004.  Glossary: SO2:Sulphur dioxide, an acid gas formed by the oxidation of sulphur impurities in fuel during combustion processes. CO: Carbon monoxide, a gas produced by the incomplete combustion of fuels. In urban areas the predominant source is traffic. PM10: Particulate matter, particles with a diameter of less than 10 microgrammes m-3. PM10 comes from a variety of natural and man-made sources such as sea salt and Saharan dust, and combustion processes. NOx: Oxides of nitrogen consisting of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). NO is a product of combustion processes, it reacts with ozone or oxygen to produce NO2. O3: Ozone, a highly reactive oxidising agent that has a range of health and material impacts. A natural background level of ozone exists. Ozone is not directly emitted and man-made sources result from a series of reactions in the atmosphere. CO2: Carbon dioxide is a gas that is produced from the combustion of carbon containing fuels.

Japanese Knotweed: Weed Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to reduce the spread of Japanese knotweed.

Huw Irranca-Davies: After careful consideration of the evidence we have agreed to release the highly specialist psyllid -  Aphalara itadori - to help control Japanese knotweed. Our intention is that as a long-term measure it will complement other actions aimed at managing this highly invasive non-native plant.
	The psyllid will be released this spring at a small number of sites initially, and will be closely monitored before any further releases are made. We do not expect it to eradicate Japanese knotweed altogether but, if successful, it should in time stress the plant and reduce its invasive capacity as well as the effort and cost of managing it.

Members: Correspondence

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs of  (a) 26 November 2009 on the Lancet study and  (b) 11 December 2009 on EU negotiations on food labelling.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have no record of receiving these letters, and invite the hon. Member to send them again.

Nature Conservation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1353W, on fish: conservation, what his Department's definition is of sustainable resources; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department considers sustainable sources of fish as those managed and harvested in ways that do not lead to overfishing or depletion of exploited populations, for example, which meet certain established standards, such as those of organic certification and the Marine Stewardship Council.

Peat: Compost

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to reduce the level of availability of peat-based composts.

Huw Irranca-Davies: On 8 March, the Secretary of State launched an Act on CO2 campaign to raise awareness of the environmental impacts associated with buying peat-based composts and encouraging amateur gardeners to buy peat-free alternatives. At the same time, the Secretary of State announced an ambition for the compost sold in garden centres and DIY stores to be peat free by 2020.
	We are now developing a detailed consultation on a future policy framework to further reduce the horticultural use of peat, including ambitions for the professional horticulture sector. We plan to publish the consultation later in the year.

Pet Travel Scheme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to extend the number of species covered by the pet travel scheme.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no plans at present to extend the requirements of the pet travel scheme to other species.

Rural Payments Agency: Telephone Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how long on average it took Rural Payments Agency call centres to  (a) answer and  (b) complete a call from a member of the public in the latest period for which figures are available; and what percentage of calls made to call centres were dropped in that period.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Rural Payments Agency's customer service centre (CSC) received 41,346 calls in February 2010 and the average speed to answer each call was 25 seconds with the average length of each call being 10 minutes and five seconds.
	During this period 9.3 per cent. of calls were abandoned when the CSC was either unable to answer the call before the customer rang off or the call was answered but the customer then ended the call prematurely.

Sewers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to bring forward regulations for the transfer of responsibility of private drains and sewers to water companies.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We have previously made clear our intention to consult on proposals for regulations to implement the transfer of private sewers before the summer, setting out the detailed arrangements for transfer. I am pleased to say that we will be able to bring forward proposals for consultation on the regulations by the end of May.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what organisations supplied goods and services to the Waste and Resources Action Programme in the last 12 months; and what the address is of each supplier.

Dan Norris: The Waste and Resources Action Programme's (WRAP's) suppliers are numerous, and range from companies receiving capital support greater than £1 million to providers of low value office supplies. A list of the 116 companies that have provided services worth in excess of £100,000 in the last 12 months has been placed in the Library of the House.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of each document submitted by Bristol city council as part of its application to become a waste incentive pilot.

Dan Norris: A copy of Bristol city council's proposal for a waste incentives scheme has been placed in the House Library.

Water Charges: Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of dwellings have their water charges based on domestic rateable values.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The latest figures show that 13.58 million, or 61.2 per cent. of domestic properties that are supplied by a water company in England and Wales have their water bills calculated using rateable value.

Zoos: Standards

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that zoos operate to standards consistent with  (a) his Department's guidance, Standards of Modern Zoo Practice and  (b) the provisions of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 places responsibility for the inspection and licensing of zoos with local authorities. The Act provides local authorities with all the powers they require to ensure that zoos operate to standards consistent with the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice. On behalf of the Secretary of State, DEFRA takes responsibility for ensuring these standards are set and improved on where necessary.
	The Secretary of State has a list of inspectors which he can call on to inspect zoos' compliance with the standards; the list includes veterinary practitioners and persons who are competent to inspect animals in zoos, advise on their welfare and advise on general zoo management issues.
	Ministers have written to all local authorities reminding them of their licensing responsibilities, and DEFRA ensures biennial training seminars for zoos, local authorities and zoo inspectors are held to make them aware of their responsibilities. DEFRA holds a zoos database and reminds local authorities annually about forthcoming zoo inspections.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much her Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: This information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many times her Department has appealed against a decision notice from the Information Commissioner since 2005.

Tessa Jowell: Details of appeals to the Information Tribunal are available on the Tribunal's website:
	http://www.informationtribunal.gov.uk/

Departmental Marketing

Robert Syms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip Northwood (Mr. Hurd) of 5 January 2010,  Official Report, column 103W, on departmental marketing, how much  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) the Central Office of Information have spent on advertising, marketing, public relations and publicity to the (i) Real Help Now and (ii) Building Britain's Future themed campaigns to date.

Tessa Jowell: With regard to expenditure by the Cabinet Office on Real Help Now and Building Britain's Future, I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Hurd) on 5 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 103-104W.
	I have asked the chief executive of the COI to reply to the hon. Member.

Departmental Waste

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what volume of waste was generated by Number 10 Downing Street in each of the last three years; what percentage of this was  (a) paper,  (b) plastic,  (c) glass,  (d) metal,  (e) electrical goods and batteries and  (f) food waste; and what percentage of that waste was (i) disposed of securely, (ii) disposed of in landfill and (iii) recycled.

Angela Smith: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	Information on the Cabinet Office's Waste and Recycling performance can be found in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.

Government Communications

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what best practice guidance the Government Communications Network has published in the last 24 months.

Tessa Jowell: The Government Communications Network (GCN) does not publish formal guidance. Communications best practice material is available on the GCN website and is updated on a regular basis by GCN members using community tools (wiki and forums). This detailed information could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Government Departments: Training

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff from each Government Department and agency have attended courses at the National School of Government entitled  (a) Managing your Confidence,  (b) Influencing with Integrity,  (c) Emotional Intelligence,  (d) Mind Mapping,  (e) Stress Management and  (f) Managing Diversity in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Tessa Jowell: This is a matter for the National School of Government. I have asked the principal and chief executive to assist by writing to you. The letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will  (a) make available to the Iraq Inquiry and  (b) place in the Library a copy of all advice from the Attorney-General to the Ministry of Defence prior to the beginning of the Iraq war that defines the individual criminal liability of military personnel under UK law; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Secretary of State for Defence on 25 February 2010,  Official Report, column 677W.

Job Creation: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many jobs have been created in Coventry since 2005.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many jobs have been created in Coventry since 2005. (325084).
	The requested information is not available. The ONS does not produce statistics on the number of jobs created.

Lobbying

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what timetable the Government has set for introducing a statutory register of lobbyists; and whether an impact assessment has been produced.

Angela Smith: The Government have committed to introduce a statutory register of lobbyists. They plan to consult on their proposals as soon as possible.

Newspaper Licensing Agency

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what payments her Department has made to the Newspaper Licensing Agency in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office has made the following payments to the Newspaper Licensing Agency in the last 10 years:
	
		
			   Payment to the Newspaper Licensing Agency (£) 
			 1998-99 273 
			 1999-2000 407 
			 2000-01 0 
			 2001-02 0 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 0 
			 2005-06 1,016 
			 2006-07 1,169 
			 2007-08 5,406 
			 2008-09 9,072 
		
	
	The increase in costs from 2007-08 and 2008-09 is due to additional services such as scanning provided by the Newspaper Licensing Agency and a further licence purchased in 2008-09 for press cuttings.

VAT: North West

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many small and medium-sized enterprises were registered for value added tax in  (a) Stockport metropolitan borough,  (b) Greater Manchester and  (c) the North West in 2009.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many small and medium-sized enterprises were registered for value added tax in (a) Stockport Metropolitan Borough, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) the North West in 2009.
	Annual statistics on counts of VAT and/or PAYE based enterprises are available for 2009 from the ONS release UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk
	The table below is a subset of this, containing just VAT based enterprise statistics.
	
		
			  Count of VAT-based enterprises by geography and employment size band 
			   Employment size band 
			   0 to 49 (small)  50 to 249 (medium)  250 + (large)  Total 
			 North-west 157,135 3,030 815 160,980 
			 Greater Manchester Metropolitan 56,410 1,155 330 57,895 
			 County Stockport 7,680 135 30 7,845

HEALTH

NHS IT Programme

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of progress on the NHS IT programme.

Mike O'Brien: The NHS IT programme is bringing benefits to doctors, nurses and, most importantly, to patients. The new NHS broadband network, digital imaging systems, choose and book and central databases are all in place.
	All acute trusts and over 90 per cent. of primary care trusts in England, and all GPs, are using systems delivered as part of the National Programme. The NHS could not now function without the systems and services the programme has already delivered.

National Care Service

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on proposals for the National Care Service.

Phil Hope: I have had a number of discussions about reform of the care and support system in the course of my ministerial duties, including at the care and support conference hosted by the Secretary of State in February.
	We have set out our proposals for reform of the care and support system in the White Paper Building a National Care Service published on 30 March.

NHS: Croydon

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of the NHS in Croydon since May 2005.

Mike O'Brien: Local trusts are measured against the NHS Performance Framework supported by the Care Quality Commission annual health check. This will help to ensure the safety and quality of care across all local health providers.
	The local NHS in Croydon continually monitors its performance to ensure the provision of appropriate, safe, high quality services designed to meet the needs of local people.

Violence Against Women and Children

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he has set for implementation of the recommendations of his Department's task force on the health aspects of violence against women and children.

Ann Keen: One of the task force report's recommendations was that an implementation group should be set up. This recommendation was fully accepted in the Government's interim response to the task force report and a chair has been appointed. One of the first tasks of the implementation group will be to develop an action plan for publication later this year.

Cancer Treatment: NICE

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he next expects to meet representatives of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to discuss treatments for cancer.

Ann Keen: No such meeting is planned.

Life Expectancy: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's policies on the average life expectancy of  (a) men and  (b) women in York since 1997.

Ann Keen: In the 10 years from 1997 to 2007, average life expectancy at birth has increased by 3.7 years for males and 1.9 years for females in the City of York unitary authority.

Alternative Medicine

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the Government's response to the consultation on the statutory regulation of herbal medicine, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine before the dissolution of Parliament.

Gillian Merron: A report is due to be submitted to Ministers and a statement will be made shortly.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many urgent care centres which were formerly accident and emergency departments were operating at  (a) 100 per cent.,  (b) 95 per cent.,  (c) 90 per cent.,  (d) 85 per cent.,  (e) 80 per cent.,  (f) 75 per cent.,  (g) 70 per cent.,  (h) 65 per cent., and  (i) 60 per cent. of their capacity in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the clinical outcomes in hospital trusts where accident and emergency departments have had their status changed to urgent care centres; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: It is for the national health service locally to monitor clinical outcomes and ensure that local services meet the needs of patients.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in  (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency,  (b) Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust,  (c) Peterborough Primary Care Trust and  (d) England were attended to within (i) 10, (ii) 30, (iii) 60 and (iv) 120 minutes of arriving at an accident and emergency unit in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: Information is not available in the format requested. The Department does not hold data by constituency. However, the following table sets out the number of attendances in 2008-09 in accident and emergency (AE) departments operated by acute trusts based within the Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) area, the Peterborough PCT area, and England, by the time spent between arrival and departure from AE. Since the data are collected by acute trust rather than by PCT, the data may include attendances from AE departments located outside the PCT area. For example, Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust operates a type 3 AE department (a minor injuries unit) at Stamford and Rutland hospital in Lincolnshire.
	
		
			  Number of AE attendances, by time from arrival to departure from the department, 2008-09 
			  Duration to departure from AE  Cambridgeshire PCT  Peterborough PCT  England 
			 10 minutes 291 861 315,480 
			 30 minutes 3,904 8,641 1,355,577 
			 60 minutes 17,622 19,099 3,241,108 
			 120 minutes 53,464 37,569 6,959,044 
			 All attendances (with a known time to departure) 121,982 68,698 13,445,355 
			 Attendances where time to departure is not known 3 0 348,717 
			  Source:  Experimental AE Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Arthritis: Health Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will run a campaign within the next 12 months to raise people's awareness of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, with particular reference to seeking prompt medical attention.

Ann Keen: The Department is considering the findings and recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee in its report Services for people with rheumatoid arthritis. The Department will respond formally to the recommendations made by the Committee in the form of a Treasury Minute in due course.
	Information on the symptoms and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is widely available. For example, NHS Choices provides a wealth of information to assist patients in recognising the symptoms of a variety of conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis.

Arthritis: Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken in response to the recommendation of the Public Accounts Committee in its recent report on Services for people with rheumatoid arthritis, HC 46, on take up of the Commissioning Pathway by primary care trusts; and how it intends to evaluate the effect of the Pathway on patients.

Ann Keen: The Department is still considering the findings and recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee in its report Services for people with rheumatoid arthritis. The Department will respond formally to the recommendations made by the Committee in the form of a Treasury Minute in due course.
	The good practice commissioning pathway for inflammatory arthritis provides a high level service model that supports primary care trusts (PCTs) as commissioners of health care services. PCTs need to ensure that their populations have access to inflammatory arthritis services that reflect their needs, priorities and aspirations and that the design and provision of these services is evidence based.

Arthritis: Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by his Department in reviewing evidence on the need for better access to flare-up and pain management services for people with rheumatoid arthritis; and when it will produce an action plan.

Ann Keen: The Department is considering the findings and recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee in its report Services for people with rheumatoid arthritis. The Department will respond formally to the recommendations made by the Committee in the form of a Treasury Minute in due course.
	Personalised care planning and supporting people to self care enables people to have the information they need to make informed choices and decisions in order to manage any exacerbation of their condition. There is information on NHS Choices to support self-management of long-term pain including free patient information leaflets.
	Our own information, taken from national surveys such as the GP survey, indicates over 60 per cent. of people with a long-term condition (LTC) in England have reported that they have agreed a plan about how to best manage their LTC.

Arthritis: Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued to primary care trusts on assessing what services are required for people with rheumatoid arthritis to enable them to decide what services they need to provide in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department has not issued specific guidance to primary care trusts on assessing what services they need to provide.

Carer's Allowance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals stopped receiving carer's allowance due to taking up employment through which they earned more than £95 per week in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	We are committed to helping carers combine their caring role with paid employment wherever possible, as this can alleviate some of the negative financial effects that carers have to contend with. This is why we have made available up to £38 million to help carers enter or re-enter the employment market.
	The White Paper-'Building Britain's Recovery: Achieving Full Employment'-announced an increase in the carer's allowance earnings limit from £95 to £100 with effect from April 2010. Many carers want to combine caring with paid employment. This increase will ensure that the real value of the earnings limit is maintained.
	The information requested is in the table.
	
		
			  Numbers of carer's allowance cases where entitlement has stopped due to exceeding the carer's allowance earnings limit 
			   Number of cases where entitlement has ceased  Caseload  Percentage of total caseload 
			 2005-2006 10,300 765,618 1.3 
			 2006-2007 9,960 813,355 1.2 
			 2007-2008 9,630 858,961 1.1 
			 2008-2009 9,540 913,306 1.0 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures for 2005/06 to 2008/09 are year end figures (March). 2. The figures are at one decimal point, in order to show the difference year on year, because if the figures are rounded to a whole figure they will all be 1 per cent. 3. The numbers represent the number of cases where carer's allowance entitlement has been terminated because the customer's earnings, after allowable expenses had been deducted, exceeded the carer's allowance earnings limit.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions - Carer's Allowance Quarterly Management Information Statistics 
		
	
	The carer's allowance earnings limit has changed during the period covered by the above figures. The earnings limit was as follows in the periods shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Period  Carer's allowance earnings limit (£) 
			 11 April 2005 to 9 April 2006 82 
			 10 April 2006 to 8 April 2007 84 
			 9 April 2007 to 30 September 2007 87 
			 1 October 2007 to 11 April 2010 95

Cervical Cancer: Health Education

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness of cervical cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Cancer Reform Strategy's National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI) aims to improve the public's awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer and encourage those with symptoms to seek help earlier than they currently do.
	With health professionals, patient groups and the voluntary sector, we have developed key messages for cervical cancer. These are available on the NHS Choices website. The Department of Health encourages charities and other stakeholders to use them widely in awareness raising activities.
	The Department will be working closely with the Eve Appeal, a charity that funds research into gynaecological cancers, to support wider communication of cervical cancer signs and symptoms. This will be evaluated using the Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM), developed by Cancer Research UK, which can be used to test and monitor the impact and effectiveness of cancer awareness work at both national and local levels.

Construction: Health Hazards

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on human health of exposure to the construction material known as SMR; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	SMR (structural materials for reinstatement) is a generic term applied to reprocessed materials used in the reinstatement of excavations in construction work. As such it relates to a range of materials with widely differing compositions. No specific assessment has been made on the health impacts of exposure to SMR.
	I have asked the Health and Safety Executive to consider this matter further though and to write to the hon. Member directly.

Contraceptives

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effect on usage of the contraceptive pill of the poster entitled  (a) contraception-implant.pdf and  (b) contraception-IUS.pdf, available on the NHS website.

Gillian Merron: The Sex. Worth talking about campaign aims to encourage people to investigate all their contraceptive options and to consider which method might best fit their needs and lifestyle. These two posters form part of this campaign and are designed to highlight two particular contraceptive choices which might be less familiar to the public than the contraceptive pill.
	The campaign has been running since 30 November 2009 and it is therefore too early to know if these posters have had an effect on usage of the oral contraceptive pill.

Contraceptives

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's campaign on usage of the oral contraceptive pill; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Sex. Worth talking about campaign highlights that there are 15 contraceptive options available, including two types of contraceptive pill. The campaign is designed to encourage people to investigate all their contraceptive options and to consider which method might best fit their lifestyle. People are advised to discuss their options with a health care professional, as medical considerations may impact an individual's final choice.
	The campaign has been running since 30 November 2009 and it is therefore too early to know if there has been an effect on usage of the oral contraceptive pill.

Dementia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department had spent on its most recent dementia awareness campaign on the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: The overall advertising spend for the dementia awareness campaign in 2009-10 was £1,587,106.

Departmental Food

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that the meat and dairy products procured by his Department and its non-departmental bodies are free range or produced to standards equivalent to those of the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme.

Phil Hope: Guidance produced under the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative encourages and shows public sector bodies how they can specify higher animal welfare standards, including farm assurance schemes and higher level schemes such as the RSPCA's Freedom Foods standards.
	In February 2008, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) alerted public bodies to the Government's commitment to the 2012 deadline for an European Union-wide ban on the use of conventional cages for laying hens, so that buyers recognised the welfare benefits of alternative production systems, compared with conventional cages and would reflect this in any future contracts. DEFRA have also developed contract award criteria that give a higher weighting to pig meat meeting higher-level welfare standards.
	Staff restaurant and hospitality catering for departmental staff is provided by Quadrant Catering and Eurest Services. Both of whom are part of Compass Group UK and Ireland, one of the United Kingdom's largest contract caterers. Compass aim to provide as much ethically sourced food as is possible as part of these catering and hospitality services.
	The Compass Group see ethical sourcing as a combination of factors, which range from ensuring sustainability to animal welfare and endorse the Farm Animal Welfare Council's Five Freedoms concept. They provide full traceability of products and suppliers within their approved supply chain to ensure animals reared for meat, fish, milk and eggs are raised to high standards of animal welfare. This year, Compass Group ran a farm to fork outdoor-reared, free-range pork project.
	We are not able to comment on plans for food procured by our non-departmental bodies, as this information is not held centrally and to provide this would be at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people his Department employs to maintain its social media and social networking sites; and how much it spent on maintaining those sites in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: Nobody within the Department is employed specifically to maintain social media or social networking sites.
	The Department's corporate social media channels are the responsibility of the e-communications and publishing team. This team spends approximately one hour per week on maintaining and updating these channels.
	In the period 1 April 2009 to 26 March 2010, the Department incurred a total of £32.26 in direct costs for maintaining corporate social media channels.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on maintaining its Flickr photostream in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: In the period 1 April 2009 to 26 March 2010, the Department incurred a total of £32.26 in direct costs for maintaining its Flickr photostream.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on maintaining its YouTube channel in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: The Department does not incur any direct costs in maintaining its YouTube channel.
	The Department's corporate social media channels are the responsibility of the e-Communications and Publishing team. This team spends approximately one hour per week on maintaining and updating these channels.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on maintaining its Twitter feed in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: The Department does not incur any direct costs in maintaining its Twitter feed.
	The Department's corporate social media channels are the responsibility of the e-Communications and Publishing team. This team spends approximately one hour per week on maintaining and updating these channels.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 56-7W, on departmental temporary employment, how much was spent on employing temporary staff in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: In 2008-09, the total amount spent by the Department on whole-time equivalent temporary workers from the administration budget, comprising agency workers, contractors and consultants, was £16,458,992.
	Prior to 2008-09, temporary workers were not recorded on the Department's Human Resources system and therefore this information is not held centrally.
	To provide the total amount spent by the Department on employing temporary workers in 2006-07 and 2007-08 would incur disproportionate cost.

Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) males and  (b) females in each socio-economic group have type 2 diabetes.

Ann Keen: There are no data centrally collected. Data from the Quality and Outcome Framework (QOF) about the number of people recorded on diabetes registers are available for national health service organisations. However, it is not possible to separate the data by gender or socio-economic group.
	This table provides data of the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in England.
	
		
			   Number of people diagnosed with diabetes 
			 2004-05 1,766,391 
			 2005-06 1,890,663 
			 2006-07 1,961,976 
			 2007-08 2,088,335 
			 2008-09 2,213,138

Diabetes: Health Services

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people with diabetes have been referred to a dietician for specialist dietary advice in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) age,  (b) sex and  (c) primary care trust area;
	(2)  how many people with diabetes have seen a dietician for specialist dietary advice, broken down by  (a) age,  (b) sex and  (c) primary care trust area, in each of the last five years.;
	(3)  what the average waiting time was for a person with diabetes in each primary care trust area to see a dietician for specialist dietary advice in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally. It is for primary care trusts in partnership with local stakeholders, including practice based commissioners, local government and the public to assess the needs of their local population and to commission services accordingly. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision of services provided by dieticians.

Diabetes: Nurses

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diabetes specialist nurse posts have been  (a) made redundant and  (b) transferred to general nursing posts in each primary care trust area in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.
	Diabetes specialist nurses are not separately identified within the quarterly redundancy collection or the NHS Workforce Census.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 966-67W, on drugs: rehabilitation, how many deaths have been caused by methadone overdose in  (a) Sefton and  (b) the UK in each year since 2000; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of methadone abuse.

Gillian Merron: It is not possible to answer how many deaths are caused solely by methadone.
	However, there were 10 deaths where the underlying cause was drug poisoning and methadone was mentioned on the death certificate in Sefton local authority between 2000 and 2007. Due to the small number these have not been broken down by year to protect confidentiality within birth and death statistics.
	The following table provides the number of deaths where the underlying cause was drug poisoning, and methadone was mentioned on the death certificate, either alone or together with other substances in the United Kingdom for the years 2000 to 2007.
	Figures on drug-related deaths identify all substances that were mentioned on the death record. Where more than one substance was mentioned, it is not possible to state which of them was primarily responsible for the death.
	
		
			  Deaths 
			   Number 
			 2000 324 
			 2001 314 
			 2002 298 
			 2003 288 
			 2004 300 
			 2005 293 
			 2006 340 
			 2007 440 
		
	
	Methadone is misused if it is taken by someone for whom it has not been prescribed; this is often because methadone prescriptions have been diverted onto the illegal drugs market. The main way that this diversion of methadone is tackled is through the supervised consumption of methadone for people who are receiving it to treat their addiction.
	Supervision of consumption by an appropriate professional provides the best guarantee that the methadone is being taken as directed. The Department's guidelines for drug treatment in the UK recommend that when a person starts receiving methadone to treat their drug misuse, they should take each dose under the supervision of a nurse, doctor or community pharmacist for a minimum of three months, and this supervision should be relaxed only when their compliance is assured.

Genito-Urinary Medicine

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he next plans to renew the effectiveness and operation of the 2001 national strategy for sexual health.

Gillian Merron: In July 2008, the Sexual Health and HIV Independent Advisory Group published their review Progress and priorities-working together for high quality sexual health of the implementation of the 2001 national strategy for sexual health and HIV.
	In July 2009, the Government published its response to the review Moving forward: Progress and priorities-working together for high quality sexual health. In the response we said that as the current strategy comes to an end in 2011 we are already considering what further action will be needed to continue to make improvements in sexual health.
	Copies of both reports have been placed in the Library.
	On 4 February 2010, we held a national consultative conference on sexual health and HIV. The conference was very well attended and received. The outputs from the day, together with other information, data and evidence will be used to develop a refreshed strategy over the coming year.

Health Services: Finance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people in each primary care trust area  (a) have been assessed for a personal health budget,  (b) are in receipt of payment from a personal health budget,  (c) have declined to use a personal health budget and  (d) are awaiting assessment for a personal health budget.

Phil Hope: 70 pilot sites are now testing personal health budgets. A full list of pilot sites is available from the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Highqualitycareforall/DH_090018
	The sites are currently in the process of developing their proposals further, and so the majority are not yet at the stage of offering personal budgets to individuals.
	During this programme, pilot sites have selected the conditions and groups they wish to include, based on their local circumstances. The number of people involved will also be decided locally, as sites develop their proposals.
	However, as we said in 'NHS 2010-15: From good to great', in the longer term our ambition is that everyone who could benefit from a personal health budget should be offered one. A copy of the publication has already been placed in the Library. While this will be informed by the outcome of the evaluation, this could ultimately mean that millions of national health service patients will benefit.

Health Services: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2010,  Official Report, column 122W, on health services: Merseyside, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to healthcare services for people with learning difficulties; and what assessment he has made of progress made by Sefton Primary Care Trust in this regard.

Phil Hope: 'Valuing People Now (VPN)', a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, sets out a three-year cross-government strategy for people with learning disabilities. One of the priorities in VPN is about ensuring that people with learning disabilities get access to better health care services. A number of initiatives have been put in place, including the publication of guidance to ensure mainstream health care meets the needs of people with learning disabilities. In addition, all strategic health authorities (SHAs) have started to implement a self-assessment framework which brings together people who plan and deliver health care services with people with learning disabilities, families and carers. On a local and regional level, SHAs and primary care trusts (PCTs) judge how well health services are meeting the needs of people with learning disabilities and plan for improvements.
	Information with regard to how the Sefton PCT is meeting the health care needs of people with learning disabilities can be obtained directly from the PCT.

Health Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new  (a) medical treatments,  (b) surgical procedures,  (c) drugs,  (d) other therapies and  (e) other services for patients have been introduced by (i) York Hospital NHS Trust, (ii) Selby and York Primary Care Trust and (iii) North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust in the last five years.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally. The information may be available directly from the organisations named. Selby and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) now forms part of North Yorkshire and York PCT.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to  (a) GPs,  (b) primary care trusts and  (c) NHS trusts on cardiac rehabilitation; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The national service framework (NSF) for coronary heart disease (CHD) (March 2000) sets out a ten year framework for action to prevent disease, tackle inequalities, save more lives, and improve the quality of life for people with heart disease. A copy has already been placed in the Library. Chapter Seven of the NSF for CHD issued appropriate guidance to the national health service regarding the provision of cardiac rehabilitation services. Implementation of this guidance is a matter for the local NHS, working in partnership with stakeholders and the local community. It is for NHS organisations to plan and develop services based on their specific local knowledge and expertise.
	The Department has worked with NHS Improvement and the Cardiac Networks on a number of national priority projects on cardiac rehabilitation. Guidance has been published on risk assessment, pathway improvement and sharing good practice. This is available at:
	www.improvement.nhs.uk/heart/HeartImprovementHome/CardiacRehabilitation/CardiacRehabKeydocuments/tabid/96/Default.aspx
	The Department's Strategic Commissioning Development Unit is leading work to develop a commissioning pack for cardiac rehabilitation. This is for use by primary care trusts to enable them to commission quality services and encourage providers to deliver healthcare services more productively. This will support commissioners to manage the delivery of cardiac rehabilitation services more effectively. The pack will be available in summer 2010.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to the introduction of a GP Quality Outcomes Framework for cardiac rehabilitation; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has not considered the introduction of a Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicator for cardiac rehabilitation. The prioritisation of potential indicators for inclusion in the QOF is the responsibility of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
	NICE will open its online topic suggestions facility twice a year to allow stakeholders to submit suggestions for new indicators. The facility is currently closed and will be opened for the next round of suggestions in the autumn. A similar facility is also available which allows stakeholders to comment on existing indicators. This is available on their website at:
	www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/qof/comment.jsp

Injuries: Dogs

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged  (a) under 18 and  (b) 18 years and older were admitted to hospital through an accident and emergency department with external cause code W54 as a result of being bitten or struck by a dog in London in each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10.

Mike O'Brien: Information is collected on people admitted to hospital as an in-patient with a cause of injury recorded as being bitten or struck by a dog. This does not include people only attending accident and emergency (AE) for treatment. Data are available only for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09.
	
		
			  A count of finished admission episodes( 1)  through accident and emergency( 2)  as a result of being bitten or struck by a dog (W54( 3) ) in London strategic health authority of residence( 4) , 2007-08 to 2008-09, by age 
			  Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   Under 18  18 and over  Not known 
			 2008-09 110 288 1 
			 2007-08 134 286 0 
			 (1) Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  (2) Method of admission We have defined accident and emergency admissions as finished admissions where the method of admission was: 21 = Emergency: via AE services, including casualty department of provider. It should be noted that the following emergency admission methods have not been included as they are not related to admissions via AE: 22 = Emergency: via general practitioner (GP) 23 = Emergency: via Bed Bureau, including the Central Bureau 24 = Emergency: via consultant out-patient clinic 28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the AE department of another health care provider.  (3) Cause code A supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in HES. Cause code used: W54 = Bitten or struck by dog.  (4) SHA/primary care trust (PCT) of residence SHA or PCT containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another SHA/PCT for treatment.  PCT/SHA data quality In July 2006, the NHS reorganised strategic health authorities (SHA) and primary care trusts (PCT) in England from 28 SHAs into 10, and from 303 PCTs into 152. As a result data from 2006-07 onwards are not directly comparable with previous years. Data have been presented for those SHA/PCTs which have valid data for the breakdown presented here. As a result some SHA/PCTs may be missing from the list provided.  Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data.   Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Mental Health Services: Prescriptions

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the safety of mental health nurse prescribing practices.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has made no recent assessment. Safety assessments of nurse prescribing practices are the responsibility of the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Mental Health Services: Prescriptions

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost-effectiveness of mental health prescribing.

Mike O'Brien: We have made no such estimate.

Mentally Disturbed Offenders: Homicide

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people convicted of murder in each year since 1990 had received specialist mental health care services in the 12 months prior to their conviction.

Phil Hope: Precise annual data on the number of homicides or serious injuries in England committed by people with mental illness is not collected centrally. However, the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicides reports 50-70 homicides per year in England and Wales committed by current mental health patients and by others who had been in touch with mental health services in the 12 months prior to the homicide.
	Most severely mentally ill people are not violent to others and very few are a risk to the general population. Independent investigations of homicides involving people with a severe mental illness have found that not all such incidents are foreseeable or preventable.

NHS: Medical Treatments

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical procedures had been undertaken in respect of NHS patients in each wave 1 independent sector treatment centre on the latest date for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The total number of medical procedures undertaken in each wave 1 independent sector treatment centre up to 31 January 2010 are summarised in the following table:
	
		
			  Treatment centre name  Provider name  Procedures (discharges)  Diagnostic procedur es  Primary care episodes 
			 Eccleshill NHS Treatment Centre Nations Healthcare 25,775 106,090 0 
			 Midlands NHS Treatment Centre Nations Healthcare 28,420 0 0 
			 Barlborough NHS Treatment Centre PHG 18,217 0 0 
			 Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre UKSH 38,856 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester Surgical Centre Netcare Healthcare 24,061 0 0 
			 Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre PHG 15,282 0 0 
			 Bodmin NHS Treatment Centre Ramsay 14,911 0 0 
			 Boston NHS Treatment Centre Ramsay 5,618 762 0 
			 Clifton Park NHS Treatment Centre Ramsay 10,797 0 0 
			 The Cobalt NHS Treatment Centre Ramsay 9,751 0 0 
			 Gainsborough NHS Treatment Centre Ramsay 3,667 0 0 
			 New Hall NHS Treatment Centre Ramsay 8,318 0 0 
			 Horton NHS Treatment Centre Ramsay 9,654 0 0 
			 Blakelands NHS Treatment Centre Ramsay 7,370 0 0 
			 Reading NHS Treatment Centre Ramsay 5,258 0 0 
			 Nottingham NHS Treatment Centre at QMC Nations Healthcare 29,637 0 0 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside NHS Treatment Centre Interhealth 17,098 0 0 
			 Kidderminster NHS Treatment Centre Interhealth 9,299 0 0 
			 Mid Kent NHS Treatment Centre PHG 23,100 25,969 0 
			 North East London NHS Treatment Centre PHG 21,512 0 0 
			 Sussex Orthopaedic NHS Treatment Centre Care UK 18,026 0 0 
			 Havant NHS Diagnostic Centre Care UK 11 21,539 0 
			 Will Adams NHS Treatment Centre Care UK 11,611 0 2,538 
			 St. Mary's NHS Treatment Centre Care UK 19,487 78,722 182,657 
			 Mid and South Buckinghamshire NHS Diagnostic Centre Care UK 0 56,249 0 
			 Total  375,736 289,331 185,195

Pharmacy

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of medication were  (a) received into pharmacies in and  (b) prescribed in the adult custodial estate in England and Wales in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: This information is not collected centrally. The responsibility for commissioning offender health services in publicly run prisons in England has been fully devolved to national health service primary care trusts since 2006 and as such pharmacy services are commissioned locally.
	Local clinical audit and governance is in place for offender medication management as in the wider NHS.
	Responsibility for the commissioning and provision of health services for offenders in Wales is devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government as it is for the population of Wales.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of people who use a prescription pre-payment certificate.

Mike O'Brien: The Department does not hold information on the number of people who hold a prepayment certificate (PPC). Data are only available on the number of PPCs issued.
	PPCs active on 24 March 2010 for England are detailed as follows:
	
		
			  Certificate duration  Number of active prepayment certificates (Thousand) 
			 3 months 170.2 
			 12 months 646.9 
			 Total 817.2 
			  Notes: 1. Active means the prepayment certificate expiry date was on or after 24 March 2010. 2. Figures may not add due to rounding.  Source: NHS Help with Health Costs (HwHC) PPC database.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the review of prescription charges for people with long-term conditions; what timetable has been set for implementation; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Dr. Taylor) on 8 March 2010,  Official Report, column 61W.

Smoking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department had spent on its Quit Smoking application on the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: As at 25 March 2010, the Department had spent £6,000 on its Quit Smoking desktop application and £10,000 on its Quit Smoking iPhone application.

Smoking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had downloaded his Department's Quit Smoking application on the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: As at 25 March 2010, the Quit Smoking desktop application had been downloaded 1,316 times, and the Quit Smoking iPhone application had been downloaded 5,080 times.

Snow and Ice

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff of his Department have taken authorised days of absence owing to severe weather in 2010.

Phil Hope: The Department does not hold information centrally on absences due to severe weather. Line managers are responsible for agreeing to practical and sensible measures (such as working from home and flexibility in working hours) to manage the effects of severe weather conditions.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: North West

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted for selling alcohol to under-age people in each police force area in the North West in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007,  (c) 2008 and  (d) 2009; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The number of the defendants found guilty at all courts for sale or allowing the sale of alcohol to a person under 18 all police force areas 2005 to 2008 can be viewed in the following table.
	The north west consists of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside which are shown in italics in the table.
	A penalty notice for disorder (PND) can also be issued for these offences. For England and Wales 2,058 PNDs were issued in 2005, 3,195 PNDs issued in 2006, 3,583 PNDs issued in 2007, 2,824 PNDs issued in 2008.
	Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned to be published in the autumn 2010.
	
		
			  The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for selling alcohol to persons aged under 18, in England and Wales from 2003 to 2007, broken down by police force area 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Police force Area  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Avon and Somerset 14 10 5 5 1 1 8 6 
			 Bedfordshire 10 9 24 22 2 1 - - 
			 Cambridgeshire 9 7 27 21 10 10 8 8 
			  Cheshire 8 5 6 6 6 5 9 7 
			 Cleveland 14 12 11 7 13 13 10 8 
			  Cumbria 8 6 1 1 1 1 4 3 
			 Derbyshire 13 6 8 7 7 7 17 16 
			 Devon and Cornwall 8 3 6 4 5 - 1 1 
			 Dorset 35 7 7 - 2 - 3 3 
			 Durham 2 - - - 3 - 7 6 
			 Essex 8 8 16 10 14 13 4 2 
			 Gloucestershire 5 5 10 10 3 3 10 7 
			  Greater Manchester 117 92 160 112 35 30 39 29 
			 Hampshire 11 8 2 - 4 4 9 6 
			 Hertfordshire 3 1 40 35 24 21 2 2 
			 Humberside 2 1 6 3 5 3 1 - 
			 Kent 14 10 2 2 2 1 6 6 
			  Lancashire 89 65 32 22 27 21 33 27 
			 Leicestershire 27 15 45 31 55 49 9 9 
			 Lincolnshire 11 1 10 1 3 3 6 6 
			  Merseyside 16 11 34 16 28 20 24 17 
			 Metropolitan Police 253 206 236 199 176 137 76 65 
			 Norfolk 3 1 - - 2 2 1 1 
			 Northamptonshire 11 6 13 10 7 7 5 5 
			 Northumbria 79 55 41 23 12 4 13 10 
			 North Yorkshire 3 1 68 19 29 11 1 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 11 9 37 29 5 3 7 4 
			 South Yorkshire 18 8 10 9 9 2 4 4 
			 Staffordshire 20 12 23 21 26 18 19 16 
			 Suffolk 3 3 4 2 - - 1 1 
			 Surrey 13 11 18 17 5 3 8 6 
			 Sussex 4 1 33 20 11 11 7 5 
			 Thames Valley 15 5 36 14 20 14 2 1 
			 Warwickshire 7 7 2 2 1 1 1 - 
			 West Mercia 19 15 10 7 5 4 3 3 
			 West Midlands 76 63 74 60 57 49 44 32 
			 West Yorkshire 15 11 17 10 9 7 9 7 
			 Wiltshire 23 9 10 6 6 5 1 1 
			 Dyfed Powys 6 4 18 15 13 3 4 3 
			 Gwent 16 12 21 14 13 8 9 7 
			 North Wales 10 10 4 4 8 7 11 8 
			 South Wales 55 41 72 58 29 23 23 17 
			 North West total 238 179 233 157 97 77 109 83 
			 England and Wales 1,084 772 1,199 854 693 525 459 366 
			  Notes: 1. Data includes the following offence descriptions and corresponding statutes:  Selling etc. intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises-Licensing Act 1964 S. 169 A  B as added by Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 S. 1, Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 S.3 [Sen. Para. 4(1)).  Sale of alcohol to person under 18-Licensing Act 2003 S. 146  Allowing sale of alcohol to person under 18-Licensing Act 2003 S. 147  Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18-Licensing Act 1964 S. 181A(1) as added by Licensing Act 1988 S. 17.  Persistently selling alcohol to children-Licensing Act 2003 S. 147A as added by Violent Crime reduction Act 2006.  2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  3. The Total proceeded against statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young Offenders

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) males and  (b) females in each court service area aged between (i) 10 and 12, (ii) 13 and 16 and (iii) 17 and 18 years old were (A) proceeded against, (B) found guilty and (C) sentenced to immediate custody for alcohol-related offences in 2008.

David Hanson: Information showing the number of males and females prosecuted at magistrates courts, convicted at all courts and those sentenced to immediate custody for alcohol related offences, England and Wales 2008 (latest available) broken down by police force area, can be viewed in Table l and Table 2.
	A penalty notice for disorder (PND) may also be issued for certain alcohol-related offences. The number of PNDs issued for alcohol-related offences 2008 can be viewed in Table 3.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of males prosecuted at the magistrates court, convicted at all courts and those sentenced to immediate custody for alcohol related offences, by age group and police force area, England and Wales, 2008( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   Aged 10-12  Aged 13-16  Aged 17-18 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody 
			 Avon and Somerset - - - 16 15 - 95 88 - 
			 Bedfordshire - - - 6 6 - 35 33 - 
			 Cambridgeshire - - - 3 3 - 27 25 1 
			 Cheshire 1 1 - 22 21 - 88 87 1 
			 Cleveland - - - 26 23 - 75 72 1 
			 Cumbria - - - 31 28 - 82 79 1 
			 Derbyshire 1 1 - 17 17 - 80 76 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall - - - 49 45 - 162 155 1 
			 Dorset - - - 14 12 - 60 57 - 
			 Durham - - - 42 37 - 83 78 - 
			 Essex - - - 11 10 - 79 73 - 
			 Gloucestershire - - - 7 7 - 39 36 - 
			 Greater Manchester - - - 43 42 - 170 166 1 
			 Hampshire - - - 19 19 - 152 146 - 
			 Hertfordshire - - - 5 5 - 43 42 1 
			 Humberside - - - 13 12 - 30 30 3 
			 Kent - - - 31 30 - 109 100 1 
			 Lancashire - - - 88 82 - 213 193 2 
			 Leicestershire - - - 11 10 - 43 37 1 
			 Lincolnshire - - - 10 10 - 54 47 - 
			 London, City of - - - - - - - - - 
			 Merseyside - - - 49 41 - 137 124 - 
			 Metropolitan Police - - - 30 26 - 174 163 - 
			 Norfolk - - - 9 8 - 56 55 - 
			 Northamptonshire - - - 7 5 - 27 26 - 
			 Northumbria - - - 202 177 - 451 407 1 
			 North Yorkshire - - - 23 22 - 83 80 2 
			 Nottinghamshire - - - 15 13 - 61 60 - 
			 South Yorkshire - - - 48 42 - 120 106 1 
			 Staffordshire - - - 18 15 - 77 75 1 
			 Suffolk - - - 3 3 - 34 34 - 
			 Surrey - - - 4 4 - 43 41 - 
			 Sussex - - - 23 22 - 126 117 2 
			 Thames Valley - - - 19 16 - 91 85 1 
			 Warwickshire - - - 6 6 - 35 35 1 
			 West Mercia - - - 24 21 - 101 97 - 
			 West Midlands - - - 28 23 - 150 139 - 
			 West Yorkshire - - - 75 60 - 174 153 1 
			 Wiltshire - - - 8 8 - 19 17 - 
			 Dyfed Powys - - - 6 5 - 40 38 - 
			 Gwent - - - 18 15 - 71 65 1 
			 North Wales - - - 16 15 - 83 79 1 
			 South Wales - - - 8 7 - 82 79 2 
			 England and Wales 2 2 - 1,103 988 - 3,954 3,695 29 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Alcohol-related offences for which cautions have been issued; (a) Drunkenness simple. (b) Drunkenness with aggravation. (c) Offences by licenced person. (d) Other offences against intoxicating liquor laws. (e) Driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. (f) Causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice Ref: IOS 173-10 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of females prosecuted at the magistrates court, convicted at all courts and those sentenced to immediate custody for alcohol related offences, by age group and police force area, England and Wales, 2008( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   Age 10-12  Age 13-16  Age 17-18 
			   Proceeded  agains t  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody 
			 Avon and Somerset - - - 4 4 - 16 15 - 
			 Bedfordshire - - - 3 2 - 4 4 - 
			 Cambridgeshire - - - - - - 4 4 - 
			 Cheshire - - - 5 5 - 23 23 - 
			 Cleveland - - - 10 10 - 8 7 - 
			 Cumbria - - - 13 12 - 22 18 - 
			 Derbyshire - - - 9 8 - 11 10 - 
			 Devon and Cornwall - - - 19 18 - 27 27 - 
			 Dorset - - - - - - 4 4 - 
			 Durham - - - 11 10 - 16 16 - 
			 Essex - - - 5 4 - 16 15 - 
			 Gloucestershire - - - 1 1 - 4 4 - 
			 Greater Manchester - - - 7 6 - 24 23 - 
			 Hampshire - - - 12 12 - 24 24 - 
			 Hertfordshire - - - 1 1 - 10 9 - 
			 Humberside - - - 2 1 - 6 5 - 
			 Kent - - - 14 14 - 15 14 - 
			 Lancashire 1 1 - 30 23 - 58 51 - 
			 Leicestershire - - - - - - 2 2 - 
			 Lincolnshire - - - - - - 5 5 - 
			 London, City of - - - - - - - - - 
			 Merseyside - - - 18 15 - 29 24 - 
			 Metropolitan Police - - - 3 3 - 33 32 - 
			 Norfolk - - - - - - 6 6 - 
			 Northamptonshire - - - 3 1 - 6 5 - 
			 Northumbria - - - 122 110 - 86 82 - 
			 North Yorkshire - - - 7 7 - 18 18 - 
			 Nottinghamshire - - - 3 3 - 15 15 - 
			 South Yorkshire - - - 20 16 - 22 21 - 
			 Staffordshire - - - 3 3 - 12 10 - 
			 Suffolk - - - - - - 2 2 - 
			 Surrey - - - 3 2 - 11 11 - 
			 Sussex - - - 7 5 - 16 14 - 
			 Thames Valley - - - 1 1 - 23 20 - 
			 Warwickshire - - - 2 2 - 3 3 - 
			 West Mercia - - - 5 4 - 12 11 - 
			 West Midlands - - - 11 9 - 30 28 - 
			 West Yorkshire - - - 33 27 - 32 27 1 
			 Wiltshire - - - 1 1 - 7 6 - 
			 Dyfed Powys - - - - - - 6 4 - 
			 Gwent - - - 4 4 - 14 12 - 
			 North Wales - - - 3 3 - 15 14 - 
			 South Wales - - - 5 4 - 16 15 - 
			 England and Wales 1 1 - 400 351 - 713 660 1 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Alcohol-related offences for which cautions have been issued; (a) Drunkenness simple. (b) Drunkenness with aggravation. (c) Offences by licenced person. (d) Other offences against intoxicating liquor laws. (e) Driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. (f) Causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice Ref IOS 173-10 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to persons aged 16 and aged 17 to 18 for alcohol related offences, England and Wales 2008( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Aged 16  Aged 17-18 
			  Police force area  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Avon and Somerset 9 1 50 14 
			 Bedfordshire 4 - 17 2 
			 British Transport police 2 2 46 13 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 - 38 3 
			 Cheshire 1 1 68 12 
			 Cleveland 19 7 155 54 
			 Cumbria - - 37 12 
			 Derbyshire 20 3 103 34 
			 Devon and Cornwall 6 2 128 28 
			 Dorset 3 1 39 11 
			 Durham 9 3 118 14 
			 Essex 1 2 31 5 
			 Gloucestershire - 3 19 1 
			 Greater Manchester 16 7 123 37 
			 Hampshire 6 1 105 27 
			 Hertfordshire 14 2 65 11 
			 Humberside 24 7 109 21 
			 Kent 25 12 228 51 
			 Lancashire 140 44 651 154 
			 Leicestershire - - 24 8 
			 Lincolnshire 3 1 16 4 
			 London, City of - - 1 - 
			 Merseyside 98 44 498 119 
			 Metropolitan 17 7 219 46 
			 Norfolk 2 2 49 1 
			 North Yorkshire 20 4 118 23 
			 Northamptonshire 11 5 54 8 
			 Northumbria 34 13 517 155 
			 Nottinghamshire 8 4 69 17 
			 South Yorkshire 46 12 398 78 
			 Staffordshire 7 3 77 15 
			 Suffolk 2 - 13 1 
			 Surrey 4 1 18 10 
			 Sussex 3 3 132 25 
			 Thames Valley 4 1 59 19 
			 Warwickshire - - 19 3 
			 West Mercia 4 - 86 14 
			 West Midlands 46 9 366 78 
			 West Yorkshire 14 6 202 53 
			 Wiltshire 14 - 51 14 
			 Dyfed Powys 1 - 22 7 
			 Gwent 2 - 51 9 
			 North Wales 7 1 98 17 
			 South Wales 0 1 35 4 
			 England and Wales 652 215 5,322 1,232 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (2) The Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) scheme was implemented in all 43 police forces in England and Wales in 2004 under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. (3) Data are published at Age 16 and over.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice Ref: IOS 173-10

Alcoholic Drinks: Young Offenders

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) 10 to 12,  (b) 13 to 15 and  (c) 16 to 17 year olds were (i) cautioned and (ii) prosecuted for alcohol-related offences in each police force area in 2008.

David Hanson: Information showing the number of offenders cautioned and defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for alcohol-related offences in England and Wales 2008 (latest available) broken down by age and police force area, can be viewed in tables 1 and 2 respectively.
	A penalty notice for disorder (PND) may also be issued for certain alcohol-related offences. The number of PNDs issued for alcohol-related offences in 2008 can be viewed in table 3.
	
		
			  Table 1 : Number of offenders aged under 18 cautioned( 1)  for alcohol-related offences( 2) , England and Wales, 2008, by age( 3,)( )( 4) 
			  Force  Age 
			   10-12  13-15  16-17  10-17 
			 Avon and Somerset - 8 23 31 
			 Bedfordshire  - - 0 
			 Cambridgeshire - - - 0 
			 Cheshire - 13 22 35 
			 City of London  - 1 1 
			 Cleveland - 11 23 34 
			 Cumbria - 14 50 64 
			 Derbyshire - 10 12 22 
			 Devon and Cornwall - 34 62 96 
			 Dorset - 7 10 17 
			 Durham - 15 34 49 
			 Essex - 4 18 22 
			 Gloucestershire - - 6 6 
			 Greater Manchester - 15 16 31 
			 Hampshire - 12 23 35 
			 Hertfordshire - 4 1 5 
			 Humberside - 2 4 6 
			 Kent - 15 15 30 
			 Lancashire 1 37 76 114 
			 Leicestershire - 3 2 5 
			 Lincolnshire - - - 0 
			 Merseyside 1 16 22 39 
			 Metropolitan Police 1 4 1 6 
			 Norfolk - - 1 1 
			 North Yorkshire - 10 20 30 
			 Northamptonshire - - - 0 
			 Northumbria 3 129 190 322 
			 Nottinghamshire - - - 0 
			 South Yorkshire - 25 13 38 
			 Staffordshire - 3 6 9 
			 Suffolk - 3 3 6 
			 Surrey - 1 5 6 
			 Sussex 2 26 29 57 
			 Thames Valley 1 6 11 18 
			 Warwickshire - - - 0 
			 West Mercia 2 8 26 36 
			 West Midlands - 24 39 63 
			 West Yorkshire - 66 78 144 
			 Wiltshire - 1 3 4 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2 5 9 16 
			 Gwent 1 16 47 64 
			 North Wales 1 13 23 37 
			 South Wales 1 10 12 23 
			 England and Wales 16 570 936 1,522 
			 (1) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (3) Alcohol-related offences for which cautions have been issued: (a) Drunkenness simple. (b) Drunkenness with aggravation. (c) Offences by licensed person. (d) Other offences against intoxicating liquor laws. (e) Driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. (f) Causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice Ref: IOS 174-10 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for alcohol-related offences( 1) , England and Wales, 2008, by age and police force area( 2,)( )( 3) 
			   Age 
			  Force  10-12  13-15  16-17  10-17 
			 Avon and Somerset - 7 49 56 
			 Bedfordshire - 2 20 22 
			 Cambridgeshire - - 16 16 
			 Cheshire 1 14 53 68 
			 City of London - - - 0 
			 Cleveland - 12 52 64 
			 Cumbria - 16 72 88 
			 Derbyshire 1 14 48 63 
			 Devon and Cornwall - 19 120 139 
			 Dorset - 5 28 33 
			 Durham - 20 89 109 
			 Essex - 5 38 43 
			 Gloucestershire - 2 27 29 
			 Greater Manchester - 23 87 110 
			 Hampshire - 13 86 99 
			 Hertfordshire - 1 17 18 
			 Humberside - 5 34 39 
			 Kent - 25 59 84 
			 Lancashire 1 47 189 237 
			 Leicestershire - - 25 25 
			 Lincolnshire - 1 29 30 
			 Merseyside - 18 117 135 
			 Metropolitan Police - 8 95 103 
			 Norfolk - 6 27 33 
			 North Yorkshire - 11 61 72 
			 Northamptonshire - 2 22 24 
			 Northumbria - 140 440 580 
			 Nottinghamshire - 5 30 35 
			 South Yorkshire - 30 104 134 
			 Staffordshire - 4 50 54 
			 Suffolk - - 15 15 
			 Surrey - 1 30 31 
			 Sussex - 14 72 86 
			 Thames Valley - 5 46 51 
			 Warwickshire - 1 18 19 
			 West Mercia - 9 67 76 
			 West Midlands - 15 83 98 
			 West Yorkshire - 51 141 192 
			 Wiltshire - 2 13 15 
			 Dyfed-Powys - 1 23 24 
			 Gwent - 7 51 58 
			 North Wales - 9 52 61 
			 South Wales - 2 42 44 
			 England and Wales 3 572 2,737 3,312 
			 (1) Includes offences of: (a) Drunkenness simple. (b) Drunkenness with aggravation. (c) Offences by licensed person. (d) Other offences against intoxicating liquor laws. (e) Driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. (f) Causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice Ref: IOS 174-10 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of penalty notices for disorder issued to persons aged 16 to 17 for alcohol-related offences England and Wales,2008( 1,)( )( 2,)( )( 3) 
			  Force  2008 
			 Avon and Somerset 28 
			 Bedfordshire 11 
			 British Transport Police 29 
			 Cambridgeshire 19 
			 Cheshire 20 
			 Cleveland 101 
			 Cumbria 1 
			 Derbyshire 71 
			 Devon and Cornwall 50 
			 Dorset 22 
			 Durham 38 
			 Essex 12 
			 Gloucestershire 11 
			 Greater Manchester 85 
			 Hampshire 30 
			 Hertfordshire 44 
			 Humberside 77 
			 Kent 122 
			 Lancashire 491 
			 Leicestershire 6 
			 Lincolnshire 7 
			 Merseyside 368 
			 Metropolitan Police 95 
			 Norfolk 16 
			 Northamptonshire 40 
			 Northumbria 258 
			 North Yorkshire 73 
			 Nottinghamshire 32 
			 South Yorkshire 228 
			 Staffordshire 41 
			 Suffolk 7 
			 Surrey 12 
			 Sussex 54 
			 Thames Valley 15 
			 Warwickshire 10 
			 West Mercia 36 
			 West Midlands 185 
			 West Yorkshire 110 
			 Wiltshire 29 
			 Dyfed-Powys 12 
			 Gwent 18 
			 North Wales 41 
			 South Wales 11 
			 Total 2,966 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (2) The penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme was implemented in all 43 police forces in England and Wales in 2004 under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. (3) Centrally available PND data are published at age 16 and over.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice Ref: IOS 174-10

Alcoholic Drinks: Young Offenders

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) males and  (b) females aged between (i) 10 and 12, (ii) 13 and 16 and (iii) 17 and 18 years in each HM Court Service area were (A) proceeded against, (B) found guilty and (C) sentenced to immediate custody for alcohol-related offences in 2008.

David Hanson: The Home Office cannot provide statistical information at an individual court level as this data along with offence details, gender and age information could potentially lead to the identification of an individual. Information showing the number of males and females prosecuted at magistrates courts, convicted at all courts and those sentenced to immediate custody for alcohol related offences, England and Wales 2008 (latest available) broken down by police force area, can be viewed in Table 1 and Table 2.
	A penalty notice for disorder (PND) may also be issued for certain alcohol-related offences. The number of PNDs issued for alcohol-related offences 2008 can be viewed in Table 3.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of males prosecuted at the magistrates court, convicted at all courts and those sentenced to immediate custody for alcohol related offences, by age group and police force area, England and Wales, 2008( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   Aged 10-12  Aged 13-16  Aged 17-18 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody 
			 Avon and Somerset - - - 16 15 - 95 88 - 
			 Bedfordshire - - - 6 6 - 35 33 - 
			 Cambridgeshire - - - 3 3 - 27 25 1 
			 Cheshire 1 1 - 22 21 - 88 87 1 
			 Cleveland - - - 26 23 - 75 72 1 
			 Cumbria - - - 31 28 - 82 79 1 
			 Derbyshire 1 1 - 17 17 - 80 76 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall - - - 49 45 - 162 155 1 
			 Dorset - - - 14 12 - 60 57 - 
			 Durham - - - 42 37 - 83 78 - 
			 Essex - - - 11 10 - 79 73 - 
			 Gloucestershire - - - 7 7 - 39 36 - 
			 Greater Manchester - - - 43 42 - 170 166 1 
			 Hampshire - - - 19 19 - 152 146 - 
			 Hertfordshire - - - 5 5 - 43 42 1 
			 Humberside - - - 13 12 - 30 30 3 
			 Kent - - - 31 30 - 109 100 1 
			 Lancashire - - - 88 82 - 213 193 2 
			 Leicestershire - - - 11 10 - 43 37 1 
			 Lincolnshire - - - 10 10 - 54 47 - 
			 London, City of - - - - - - - - - 
			 Merseyside - - - 49 41 - 137 124 - 
			 Metropolitan Police - - - 30 26 - 174 163 - 
			 Norfolk - - - 9 8 - 56 55 - 
			 Northamptonshire - - - 7 5 - 27 26 - 
			 Northumbria - - - 202 177 - 451 407 1 
			 North Yorkshire - - - 23 22 - 83 80 2 
			 Nottinghamshire - - - 15 13 - 61 60 - 
			 South Yorkshire - - - 48 42 - 120 106 1 
			 Staffordshire - - - 18 15 - 77 75 1 
			 Suffolk - - - 3 3 - 34 34 - 
			 Surrey - - - 4 4 - 43 41 - 
			 Sussex - - - 23 22 - 126 117 2 
			 Thames Valley - - - 19 16 - 91 85 1 
			 Warwickshire - - - 6 6 - 35 35 1 
			 West Mercia - - - 24 21 - 101 97 - 
			 West Midlands - - - 28 23 - 150 139 - 
			 West Yorkshire - - - 75 60 - 174 153 1 
			 Wiltshire - - - 8 8 - 19 17 - 
			 Dyfed Powys - - - 6 5 - 40 38 - 
			 Gwent - - - 18 15 - 71 65 1 
			 North Wales - - - 16 15 - 83 79 1 
			 South Wales - - - 8 7 - 82 79 2 
			 England and Wales 2 2 - 1,103 988 - 3,954 3,695 29 
			 (1 )The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Alcohol-related offences for which cautions have been issued; (a) Drunkenness simple. (b) Drunkenness with aggravation. (c) Offences by licensed person. (d) Other offences against intoxicating liquor laws. (e) Driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. (f) Causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of females prosecuted at the magistrates court, convicted at all courts and those sentenced to immediate custody for alcohol related offences, by age group and police force area, England and Wales, 2008( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   Age d  10-12  Age d  13-16  Age d  17-18 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Sentenced to immediate custody 
			 Avon and Somerset - - - 4 4 - 16 15 - 
			 Bedfordshire - - - 3 2 - 4 4 - 
			 Cambridgeshire - - - - - - 4 4 - 
			 Cheshire - - - 5 5 - 23 23 - 
			 Cleveland - - - 10 10 - 8 7 - 
			 Cumbria - - - 13 12 - 22 18 - 
			 Derbyshire - - - 9 8 - 11 10 - 
			 Devon and Cornwall - - - 19 18 - 27 27 - 
			 Dorset - - - - - - 4 4 - 
			 Durham - - - 11 10 - 16 16 - 
			 Essex - - - 5 4 - 16 15 - 
			 Gloucestershire - - - 1 1 - 4 4 - 
			 Greater Manchester - - - 7 6 - 24 23 - 
			 Hampshire - - - 12 12 - 24 24 - 
			 Hertfordshire - - - 1 1 - 10 9 - 
			 Humberside - - - 2 1 - 6 5 - 
			 Kent - - - 14 14 - 15 14 - 
			 Lancashire 1 1 - 30 23 - 58 51 - 
			 Leicestershire - - - - - - 2 2 - 
			 Lincolnshire - - - - - - 5 5 - 
			 London, City of - - - - - - - - - 
			 Merseyside - - - 18 15 - 29 24 - 
			 Metropolitan Police - - - 3 3 - 33 32 - 
			 Norfolk - - - - - - 6 6 - 
			 Northamptonshire - - - 3 1 - 6 5 - 
			 Northumbria - - - 122 110 - 86 82 - 
			 North Yorkshire - - - 7 7 - 18 18 - 
			 Nottinghamshire - - - 3 3 - 15 15 - 
			 South Yorkshire - - - 20 16 - 22 21 - 
			 Staffordshire - - - 3 3 - 12 10 - 
			 Suffolk - - - - - - 2 2 - 
			 Surrey - - - 3 2 - 11 11 - 
			 Sussex - - - 7 5 - 16 14 - 
			 Thames Valley - - - 1 1 - 23 20 - 
			 Warwickshire - - - 2 2 - 3 3 - 
			 West Mercia - - - 5 4 - 12 11 - 
			 West Midlands - - - 11 9 - 30 28 - 
			 West Yorkshire - - - 33 27 - 32 27 1 
			 Wiltshire - - - 1 1 - 7 6 - 
			 Dyfed Powys - - - - - - 6 4 - 
			 Gwent - - - 4 4 - 14 12 - 
			 North Wales - - - 3 3 - 15 14 - 
			 South Wales - - - 5 4 - 16 15 - 
			 England and Wales 1 1 - 400 351 - 713 660 1 
			 (1 )The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2 )Alcohol-related offences for which cautions have been issued; (a) Drunkenness simple. (b) Drunkenness with aggravation. (c) Offences by licensed person. (d) Other offences against intoxicating liquor laws. (e) Driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. (f) Causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of penalty notices for disorder issued to persons aged 16 and aged 17 to 18 for alcohol related offences, England and Wales 2008( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Aged 16  Aged 17-18 
			  Police force area  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Avon and Somerset 9 1 50 14 
			 Bedfordshire 4 - 17 2 
			 British Transport police 2 2 46 13 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 - 38 3 
			 Cheshire 1 1 68 12 
			 Cleveland 19 7 155 54 
			 Cumbria - - 37 12 
			 Derbyshire 20 3 103 34 
			 Devon and Cornwall 6 2 128 28 
			 Dorset 3 1 39 11 
			 Durham 9 3 118 14 
			 Essex 1 2 31 5 
			 Gloucestershire - 3 19 1 
			 Greater Manchester 16 7 123 37 
			 Hampshire 6 1 105 27 
			 Hertfordshire 14 2 65 11 
			 Humberside 24 7 109 21 
			 Kent 25 12 228 51 
			 Lancashire 140 44 651 154 
			 Leicestershire - - 24 8 
			 Lincolnshire 3 1 16 4 
			 London, City of - - 1 - 
			 Merseyside 98 44 498 119 
			 Metropolitan 17 7 219 46 
			 Norfolk 2 2 49 1 
			 North Yorkshire 20 4 118 23 
			 Northamptonshire 11 5 54 8 
			 Northumbria 34 13 517 155 
			 Nottinghamshire 8 4 69 17 
			 South Yorkshire 46 12 398 78 
			 Staffordshire 7 3 77 15 
			 Suffolk 2 - 13 1 
			 Surrey 4 1 18 10 
			 Sussex 3 3 132 25 
			 Thames Valley 4 1 59 19 
			 Warwickshire - - 19 3 
			 West Mercia 4 - 86 14 
			 West Midlands 46 9 366 78 
			 West Yorkshire 14 6 202 53 
			 Wiltshire 14 - 51 14 
			 Dyfed Powys 1 - 22 7 
			 Gwent 2 - 51 9 
			 North Wales 7 1 98 17 
			 South Wales 0 1 35 4 
			 England and Wales 652 215 5,322 1,232 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (2) The penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme was implemented in all 43 police forces in England and Wales in 2004 under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. (3) Data are published at Age 16 and over.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued to people aged  (a) under 18 and  (b) 18 or more years old in (i) England and (ii) Cambridgeshire in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) became available to courts from April 1999. The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in England and the Cambridgeshire Criminal Justice System area covering the period to 31 December 2007 (latest currently available) are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued all courts( 1)  in England and the Cambridgeshire Criminal Justice System (CJS) area, by age group( 2) , 1 April 1999 to 31 December 2007 
			   Area 
			   England  Cambridgeshire CJS area 
			   10-17  18+  N /k  10-17  18+  N /k 
			 April 1999-May 2000 - - 104 - - 5 
			 June-December 2000 61 63 11 - 1 - 
			 2001 190 148 6 1 1 - 
			 2002 244 165 6 2 - - 
			 2003 598 679 8 10 5 - 
			 2004 1,291 2,013 52 3 23 - 
			 2005 1,493 2,344 70 14 34 2 
			 2006 971 1,509 27 15 16 - 
			 2007 869 1,250 17 4 16 - 
			 (1) Includes ASBOs issued on application by magistrates courts acting in their civil capacity and county courts, which became available on 1 April 1999 and ASBOs made following conviction for a relevant criminal offence at the Crown court and at magistrates courts (acting in their criminal capacity), which became available on 2 December 2002. (2) No age details are available for the period April 1999 to May 2000. N/k indicates that the defendant's ages were not reported to the Ministry of Justice.  Notes: 1. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 2. Previously issued data have been revised.

Asylum

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outstanding applications for asylum were received by the UK Border Agency before 1 March 2009.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency have interpreted the question as asking for the number of asylum applications which were made before 1 March 2009 and which have been neither granted, withdrawn, are successful at appeal or removed. This would include applications made both to the New Asylum model (NAM) and cases within the CRD legacy.
	The number of outstanding asylum applications which were made since the introduction of the new Asylum model (NAM) in 2006 and prior to 1 March 2009 is contained in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of asylum applications( 1)  Number of cases yet to reach conclusion( 2) 
			 2006 23,610 - 
			 2007 23,430 - 
			 2008 24,700 - 
			 2009 24,250 - 
			 Total 95,990 40,640 
			 (1) Numbers for Asylum Applications are from migration statistics published stats. (2) Please note that figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. This figure is the total number of unconcluded out of service standard cases. Cases within a six month period are considered in standard and therefore considered as work in progress, they are not considered to be outstanding applications. 
		
	
	The above figure (40,640) does not include cases being dealt with by the Case Resolution Directorate (CRD)(1).
	(1) This is because the Agency is unable to accurately report on these outstanding cases. As reported in February 2010 to the Home Affairs Select Committee, 52 per cent. of the concluded cases were data errors and required no further action. Therefore, any such report would be unable to accurately represent CRD cases with outstanding applications.

Counter-terrorism

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which non-governmental organisations have received funding under the Prevent strand of the Contest counter-terrorism strategy to date.

David Hanson: holding answer 24 February 2010
	The Government fund a range of groups, including non-governmental organisations, under the Prevent strategy.
	The disclosure of specific or detailed information on which organisations and individuals are actively engaged in delivering the Prevent strategy could place them at considerable and unnecessary risk of harm, and would also threaten national security. I am, therefore, unable to provide specific details.

Counter-terrorism

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he plans to take to evaluate the effectiveness of his Department's Prevent programme; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The effectiveness of the Prevent strategy, which forms part of Contest, the Government's counter-terrorist strategy, is already under continuous review and evaluation. Key deliverables are routinely assessed in order to monitor progress against the strategy, the delivery of benefits and demonstrate value for money.
	Additionally, the effectiveness of the Prevent strategy is measured by NI
	35: Building resilience to violent extremism and PSA Delivery Agreement
	26: Reduce the risk to the UK and its interests.
	As the Prevent strategy develops and progresses, we continue to develop further methods of evaluation.

Counter-terrorism

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the data collected on individuals through the Channel Project for identifying those vulnerable to violent extremism are shared with the security services.

David Hanson: holding answer 18 March 2010
	It has been the established policy of successive Governments to neither confirm nor deny in response to questions concerning the intelligence and security agencies.

Counter-terrorism

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place for individuals identified by the Channel Project to seek to have their details removed from police force records.

David Hanson: holding answer 18 March 2010
	Under the Data Protection Act 1998 the Chief Constables of each police force are the Data Controllers of all information placed by that force on to local force systems. Only they can authorise the amendment or deletion of any record.
	Through the Data Protection Act a person may apply to the police, for disclosure of and disposal of any personal information held. The police should then make a decision regarding disclosure and disposal, on a case by case basis, under the terms of the Act.
	The management and use of information within the police service is done in accordance with Management of Police Information (MOPI) 2006 guidance. This sets standards for the review and retention of information and the disposal of information if it is no longer considered necessary for police purposes.
	The Code of Practice on the Management of Police Information (MOPI) defines policing purposes as: protecting life and property, preserving order, preventing the commission of offences, bringing offenders to justice and any duty or responsibility of the police arising from common or statute law.

Counter-terrorism

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been allocated for expenditure on advertising in respect of the anti-terrorist hotline in the financial year 2009-10; what payments his Department has made to each media outlet in respect of such advertisement; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of such advertisement in meeting the objectives set for it; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 24 March 2010
	The total cost of advertising for the anti-terrorist hotline in 2009-10 was £1,005,587. A breakdown by media outlet is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Media outlet  Payments made in 2009-10 (£) 
			 National press 299,630 
			 London radio 170,876 
			 National radio 159,175 
			 TalkSPORT 100,090 
			 Women's magazines 96,648 
			 Door drops 72,713 
			 Minority press 38,361 
			 Wales press 24,442 
			 Welsh radio 15,981 
			 London press 13,664 
			 Social media 10,245 
			 Taxi trade press 3,762 
			 Total 1,005,587 
		
	
	Assessment of the 2009-10 advertising campaign will commence in April 2010. However, the police value the hotline-which is continually manned 24 hours each day by specialist counter-terrorism officers-as it provides the public with a facility through which they can confidentially provide information about suspected terrorist activity which could help to prevent a terrorist attack.

Crime: Nature Conservation

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings officials of his Department have had with the  (a) Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime and  (b) UK National Wildlife Crime Unit on reducing the number of illegal badger killings in the last 24 months.

David Hanson: Officials from the Home Office have attended the steering group meetings of the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime which occur three times a year. Officials have also attended the tasking and co-ordination meetings for the National Wildlife Crime Unit which also occur three times a year.
	We have not held separate meetings with either the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime or the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit to discuss illegal badger killings in the last 24 months.

Crime: South Yorkshire

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serious crimes of each category have been recorded in  (a) Sheffield and  (b) South Yorkshire in each year since 1998.

David Hanson: The Home Office does not use the term 'serious crime'. Data are provided for the following offence categories: violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. Data for South Yorkshire police force area are shown in Tables 1a to 1c from 1998-99 to 2008-09. Data for Sheffield Community Safety Partnership (CSP) are shown in Tables 2a to 2c. For CSPs (formerly known as CDRPs or Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships) data are available centrally from 2001-02 onwards. These tables have been placed in the Library.
	There was a major change in police recorded crime recording practices in April 2002 that means that figures from 2002-03 are not comparable with figures prior to that year.
	The introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002 brought in a more victim-focused reporting system, where victim accounts had to be accepted unless there was credible evidence to the contrary. In its first year, this was estimated to have artificially increased recording of violence against the person by 23 per cent.
	From l April 2008 there were also changes in offence classifications which for the first time collected separate information on grievous bodily harm (GBH) without intent (rather than as part of a broader 'other wounding' category) and a clarification in the counting rules for grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent. This led to a step change in the levels of most serious violence for some police forces. This means figures for these offence categories for 2008-09 are not comparable with those for earlier years.

Departmental Internet

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms he plans to put in place to monitor and ensure compliance with the requirement that any electronic service provider tendering for Government contracts should deploy the list compiled by the Internet Watch Foundation in order to block access to websites known to host images of child sex abuse.

David Hanson: holding answer 25 March 2010
	The Home Department's Commercial Directorate has worked with the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) to change the conditions under which contracts for internet services to Government Departments or Government Agencies were offered.
	OGC has recently issued procurement policy which requires all procurement specifications for the provision of internet related services to include a requirement that the service provider must block access to those sites specified on the Internet Watch Foundation's (IWF) list.
	The policy will be circulated to the Home Department's procurement community to promote this policy.
	The main Home Department contract for IT services uses the IWF list to restrict access to the sites in question. As part of our contract management procedures this will continue to be monitored during the lifetime of the contract.
	As part of our commercial best practice we will monitor all procurement specifications for the provision of internet related services to ensure compliance with this requirement.

Departmental Internet

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department's contract with Cable and Wireless for the provision of internet services expires; when he expects the tendering process for its replacement to begin; and what discussions he plans to have with  (a) Cable and Wireless and  (b) subsequent providers on access to sites identified with child abuse.

David Hanson: holding answer 25 March 2010
	The Home Office currently has the ability to access the internet via its service contract with Cable and Wireless under the Government Secure Intranet (GSi) framework via Buying Solutions. This framework expires in August 2011 with individual service contracts expiring no later than February 2012.
	It should be noted that the GSi is not the only or exclusive method by which the Home Office, or indeed any Government Department, can gain access to the internet.
	The tendering process for the replacement framework is already under way, beginning in December 2009 and targeted for delivery spring 2011.
	The replacement frameworks will require internet service providers to offer filtering facilities to block access to specific sites.
	We have been working with the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) to change the conditions under which contracts for internet services to Government or Government agencies were offered. It is now a requirement that all suppliers block access to those sites specified on the IWF's list. This will apply to all new contracts offered for supply of these services, and we would strongly urge all suppliers, or those wishing to become suppliers, to ensure that they take the IWF list.

Departmental Training

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2010,  Official Report, column 81W, on departmental training, on what dates the sessions of media training were provided; which organisations provided that training; what the cost was of that training; and to which Ministers that training was provided.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 5 February 2010
	Ministers of the Home Department engaged in the following media training:
	Liam Byrne on 23 January 2007 with Kim Fletcher;
	Meg Hillier on 11 July 2007 with Angela Coles;
	Alan Campbell on 17 October 2008 with internal training providers.
	Information on costs relating to media training by external suppliers is not held centrally.

Designated Public Places Orders

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been given to local authorities on the extent of geographical areas to which a Designated Public Places Order can be applied.

David Hanson: The Home Office published Guidance on Designated Public Place Orders (DPPO): For local authorities in England and Wales on 23 December 2008. This guidance can be accessed on the following website:
	http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/alcoholorders/alcoholorders016.htm

DNA: Databases

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his contribution on Second Reading of the Crime and Security Bill, 18 January 2010,  Official Report, column 35, if he will provide detailed information on each of the 36 cases of DNA data being held on the National DNA database for those previously arrested but not convicted of an offence in which DNA evidence was vital in securing a conviction in cases of  (a) rape,  (b) murder and  (c) manslaughter.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 24 February 2010
	The information given on Second Reading of the Crime and Security Bill was the outcome of an analysis by the Association of Chief Police Officers' Criminal Records Office (ACRO) and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) of information held on the police national computer, following consultation with the Senior Investigating Officers in each of the 36 cases referred to. In 2008-09 there were at least 79 DNA matches for rape, murder and manslaughter where the original sample was taken for an offence that did not result in a conviction. 36 of these matches were found to have a direct and specific value to the investigation. It is not our policy to release details of individual cases without the explicit consent of the victims or their families. In any case, some of the cases remain before the courts.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any assessment has been made of the frequency of  (a) arson in and  (b) theft of household wheeled refuse containers.

David Hanson: Figures from the 2008-09 British Crime Survey show that in 4 per cent. of incidents of other household theft a wheelie bin/dustbin was reported as the item stolen. Information is not available for arson offences.
	From the information collected centrally on police recorded crime it is not possible to determine offences involving household wheeled refuse containers.

Entry Clearances

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will grant a temporary domestic worker visa to Ms Abieyuwa Omorogbe, with reference to the letter on the subject sent by the hon. Member for Totnes to the Minister for Borders and Immigration on 24 March 2010.

Phil Woolas: We have no record of a current visa application from Ms Abieyuwa Omorogbe. Any application received will be considered in accordance with the Immigration Rules, and in the light of any representations from the hon. Member for Totnes.

Entry Clearances: Domestic Service

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer by the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Totnes, of 17 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 875-6, when he expects the Minister for Borders and Immigration to contact the hon. Member for Totnes regarding the Minister's decision on diplomatic domestic worker visas.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 29 March 2010
	I will write to the hon. Member for Totnes.

European Prosecutor's Office

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has made to the proposal of the President of Eurojust that a European Prosecutor's Office be established; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 29 March 2010
	There is no proposal to establish a European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPP).
	While the Lisbon Treaty created a legal base for an EPP any proposal would have to be agreed by unanimity of all member states. The UK would also have the choice whether or not to participate by virtue of our Justice and Home Affairs Opt-In Protocol. So, under no circumstances could we be obliged to take part in the creation of an EPP if a proposal was made.

Extremist Websites

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the list of extremist websites, bookshops, networks, centres and organisations announced by the then Prime Minister on 5 August 2005 was first established; on what dates the list has been updated; whether the deportation of a foreign national has been  (a) considered and  (b) executed on the grounds of active engagement with one of the organisations on the list; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent edition of the list.

Alan Johnson: The Prime Minster's announcement on 5 August 2005 set out a 12-point plan designed to counter the threat of terrorism. As my right hon. Friend the former Home Secretary said on 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1594W, significant progress had been made on the 12 point plan and that all counter-terrorist work was now subsumed into the Government's long-term counter-terrorist strategy (the Contest strategy).
	The Home Secretary may make a deportation order where he is satisfied that deportation is conducive to the public good. The basis for such a decision could include, for example, the individual being engaged in the promotion or dissemination of extremist material (including via websites, bookshops, networks, centres and organisations). The police and other law enforcement and intelligence partners work closely to identify sources of extremism. Where an individual is found to have been engaged in the encouragement of terrorism or dissemination of terrorist publications, the police and CPS would seek to prosecute them. In the case of a foreign national engaged in extremist activities, we seek to deport them. In the case of organisations, the Terrorism Act 2000 allows an organisation to be proscribed if the Home Secretary believes it is concerned in terrorism. The Terrorism Act 2006 extended the meaning of concerned in terrorism to include the unlawful glorification of acts of terrorism.
	I am not prepared to comment on individual cases of deportation. I can, however, confirm that individuals who are suspected to have engaged in extremist activity have been deported on grounds that their presence in the UK not being considered conducive to the public good. I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him on 30 November 2009,  Official Report, column 474W, which provide the number of foreign nationals deported from the UK on the grounds of unacceptable behaviour (relating to foreign nationals who foment hatred or violence in support of their extremist beliefs).
	The police and other counter-terrorism partners seek to identify extremist websites, bookshops, networks, centres and organisations. A list of proscribed organisations is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/terrorist-threat/proscribed-terrorist-orgs/proscribed-terrorist-groups/index.html
	For national security reasons it is not possible to provide details of all such websites, premises or organisations of concern.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the victims of human trafficking who were returned to their country of origin in each of the last five years were  (a) EU nationals,  (b) European non-EU nationals and  (c) from a country other than Europe; and what the cost to the public purse was in each of those years.

David Hanson: holding answer 29 March 2010
	Tracking victims of human trafficking beyond the National Referral Mechanism reflection and recovery period is limited if there is no longer a risk to their safety or health and they have the right to remain in the UK (UK and EEA victims in particular). This makes it difficult to confirm the numbers of voluntary returns in this category and what associated costs there have been. There is currently no record of any enforced return of individuals conclusively found to be victims of trafficking returned to their own country.

Human Trafficking: Prosecutions

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions of people for human trafficking offences there were between  (a) April 2009 and April 2010 and  (b) April 2008 and April 2009.

David Hanson: holding answer 29 March 2010
	In the period 2008-09 there were a total of 124 prosecutions for human trafficking offences with a further 106 prosecutions in the period 2009-10.
	In many cases where there is insufficient evidence to support a prosecution for human trafficking, there are successful prosecutions resulting in convictions for associated serious charges such as rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment, managing a brothel or assisting unlawful immigration.

Identity Cards

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Identity and Passport Service on upgrading the capability of identity cards; what estimate has been made of the cost to the public purse of that upgrade; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: I have regular discussions with the Identity and Passport service about developments in the National Identity Service (NIS). In relation to upgrading the capability of identity cards, our ideas are at the technical development stage and are being explored as part of the work to develop identity services. No final decisions with regard to these services have been taken and no final costs have therefore been identified.

Police: Bureaucracy

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what five types of activity, excluding front-line policing, accounted for most police officer time in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: Front-line policing was defined in Home Office Guidance on Statutory Performance Indicators for Policing 2007-08, to include the following activities which have been measured using policy activity analysis (AA): dealing with crime incidents; dealing with non-crime incidents; visible patrol; special operations/events; investigate complaints; deal with informants; and community involvement.
	In each of the years between 2003-04 and 2007-08, the first three of these categories were consistently the activities on which the police spent most time. After the activities which comprise front-line policing, the same five activities took up the greatest proportions of police time over the same 2003-04 and 2007-08 period. They were, in descending order of time taken:
	Non-incident-related paperwork
	Briefings/meetings
	Other non-incident-related work
	Refreshments
	Other managerial/supervision.
	The amount of time spent annually on these activities in total over the period 2003-04 and 2007-08 was as follows:
	2003-04: 26.9 per cent;
	2004-05: 7.6 per cent;
	2005-06: 26.9 per cent;
	2006-07: 24.3 per cent;
	2007-08: 25.6 per cent.
	To reduce paperwork burdens on police officers, the collection of data about time spent by officers on police activities ceased after 2007-08 in response to the recommendations by Sir David Normington in his review of data burdens placed by the Government on the police service published in February 2009.
	
		
			  Table A: proportion of time spent or policing activities, by activity and year 
			  Activity  2003-04  2004-05  200-06  200-07  200-08 
			 Violence against the person-S20 and more serious 3.2 2.9 3.0 3.0 3.3 
			 Violence against the person-S47 and less serious 3.0 3.4 3.9 4.4 4.1 
			 Sexual offences 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.2 2.3 
			 Burglary dwelling 3.1 2.8 2.5 2.8 2.8 
			 Burglary-commercial and other 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 
			 Robbery 1.7 1.8 1.8 2.0 2.2 
			 Theft of or from motor vehicle 2.2 1.9 2.0 1.9 1.8 
			 Deception/fraud 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.2 
			 Theft other 3.4 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.4 
			 Drugs offences 2.3 2.4 2.8 2.6 2.8 
			 Criminal damage 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.5 2.2 
			 Other crime 4.4 4.2 4.4 5.5 5.4 
			 RTA fatal/serious 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.1 
			 RTA minor injury/damage 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.3 
			 Traffic Other 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.7 
			 Public disorder 1.8 1.9 2.1 1.6 2.0 
			 Domestic dispute 1.5 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 
			 Complaint/nuisance 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.0 
			 Prostitution 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 False alarms 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 Missing person 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.2 
			 Sudden/suspicious death 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.7 
			 Other non crime 3.2 2.9 2.7 3.1 3.1 
			 Visible Patrol 14.8 15.7 14.4 14.0 14.4 
			 Court duties/escort 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 
			 Special operations/events 2.2 2.0 1.6 1.7 1.8 
			 Investigate complaints 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 Deal with informants 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 
			 Community Involvement 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.3 
			 Property enquiries 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 
			 Non incident enquiries 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.5 
			 Crime prevention activity 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 
			 Prison interviews 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Training 2.0 1.7 1.6 1.4 1.7 
			 Briefings/meetings 6.9 6.6 6.4 5.9 6.5 
			 Non incident linked paperwork 7.8 6.6 6.5 6.5 7.3 
			 Other non incident related work 4.5 6.5 6.3 4.6 4.3 
			 Staff development/appraisal/personnel related 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.8 
			 Monitoring cellblock PACE (Domain 2) 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 
			 Relief custody duties (Domain 2) 0.5 0.6 1.2 1.1 0.4 
			 Call handling/relief control room duties/enquiry desk 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 
			 Checking paperwork (supervisory) 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.8 
			 Budgetary/financial 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 ID parades 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.1 
			 Other managerial/supervision 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.3 
			 Refreshments 4.8 4.7 4.5 4.2 4.2 
			 Waiting time 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 
			 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 All crime 30.1 29.3 30.7 33.1 32.6 
			 All non-crime incidents 15.1 15.2 15.3 16.0 15.6

Police: Bureaucracy

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the proportion of police officer time spent  (a) inside police stations and  (b) on the street in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: No such estimate has been made centrally.

Police: Manpower

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 591W, on travelling people, if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance document on local employment targets for under-represented groups published by the Association of Police Authorities.

David Hanson: I will arrange for a copy of the guidance to be placed in the Library.

Police: Manpower

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 591W, on travelling people, what information his Department holds on those police forces which have adopted targets or policies to recruit Travellers.

David Hanson: Following the Policing Green Paper: Cm 7448 From the Neighbourhood to National: Policing Our Communities Together, Police Authorities are now responsible for setting local employment targets in agreement with forces and in consultation with communities. The Home Office does not hold information on police forces which have adopted targets or policies to recruit Travellers.

Prisoner Escapes

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) escapes and  (b) attempted escapes there have been from prisons in each year since 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of escapes from custody has been falling since 1995 when the current central recording system for this type of incident began; this is against the backdrop of an increasing prison population. Despite these successes in reducing escapes, work continues to identify and remove risks which could lead to escapes.
	The following table shows the number of escapes and attempted escapes by year from April 2007. There have been no escapes of category A prisoners from prison since 1995.
	
		
			  Prisoners escaping from prison in England and Wales between 1 April 2007 and end of February 2010 
			   Escapes  Attempted escape 
			 2007-08 4 60 
			 2008-09 1 45 
			 2009-10 (to end February 2010) 2 39 
			  Notes: 1. All figures shown are for key performance indicator escapes recorded as part of the National Offender Management Service performance management system. 2. Attempted escapes include any attempt to breach the perimeter or incidents that are indicative of advanced planning for an escape or finds of equipment that could be used for an escape. 3. These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency: Benefit Fraud

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of investigations by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency concerned benefit fraud in the last 12 months;
	(2)  whether the Serious and Organised Crime Agency routinely investigates cases of benefit fraud convictions for links to organised criminal activity.

David Hanson: holding answer 29 March 2010
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency was set up to tackle serious organised crime and to reduce the harm it causes to the UK. SOCA's priorities are determined by the Home Secretary and set out in the SOCA Annual Plan. They include class A drugs, organised immigration crime and fraud as well as cross-cutting priorities such as firearms and criminal finances and profits.
	SOCA's operational activity is aligned to the UK Control Strategy for Organised Crime. While SOCA has not led operational activity which primarily focuses on benefit fraud, in the last 12 months, instances of benefit fraud may be uncovered as part of a wider investigation.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many court orders the Child Support Agency has sought for the recovery of outstanding payments from non-resident parents in each of the last 10 years.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many court orders the Child Support Agency has sought for the recovery of outstanding payments from non-resident parents in each of the last 10 years. (324689)
	The table below provides information on the number of liability orders granted in England, Wales and Scotland in each financial year from 2004/5 to 2009/10. Information prior to 2004 is unavailable as this was not recorded for management information purposes.
	
		
			  Number of liability orders granted in England, Wales and Scotland 
			  Year  All  England and Wales  Scotland 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 7,760 7,300 460 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 11,245 10,465 780 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 13,510 12,635 875 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 17,755 16,580 1,175 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 24,675 22,610 2,065 
			 April 2009 to October 2009(1) (latest available information) 14,130 13,290 840 
			 (1 )Figures for 2009/10 are only available until October 2009.  Notes: 1. The term court order is defined as a liability order. 2. A liability order is a document obtained from the court showing that they legally recognise that the debt is owing. This is the same in both England and Wales and Scotland. This is required before the CSA can use litigation powers (Diligence in Scotland). 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. 
		
	
	The tables below show other Enforcement Actions, some of which include court action, that have been taken in England, Wales and Scotland in each financial year from 2004/5 to 2009/10. Information prior to 2004 is unavailable as this was not recorded for management information purposes.
	
		
			  England and Wales 
			   April 2004 to March 2005  April 2005 to March 2006  April 2006 to March 2007  April 2007 to March 2008  April 2008 to March 2009  April 2009 to October 2009( 1) 
			 Distress Actions 4,765 9,225 13,625 14,765 18,380 9,325 
			 Judgement Orders 1,315 2,330 1,920 1,390 435 25 
			 3rd Party Debt Orders 1,235 1,710 2,090 1,790 2,395 860 
			 Charging Orders 845 1335 1,850 1,735 2,480 1,615 
			 (1) Latest available information 
		
	
	
		
			  Scotland 
			   April 2004 to March 2005  April 2005 to March 2006  April 2006 to March 2007  April 2007 to March 2008  April 2008 to March 2009  April 2009 to October 2009( 1) 
			 Attachments 120 125 275 235 270 140 
			 Arrestments 475 450 610 485 890 345 
			 Bills of inhibition 250 575 860 1045 1,745 580 
			 (1) Latest available information 
		
	
	
		
			  England, Wales and Scotland 
			   April 2004 to March 2005  April 2005 to March 2006  April 2006 to March 2007  April 2007 to March 2008  April 2008 to March 2009  April 2009 to October 2009( 1) 
			 New Deductions from Earnings Orders/Requests n/a 75,760 64,915 (8) 74,550 66,705 38,195 
			 Stock of DEO/R's charging at end of period 127,200 138,300 143,800 153,900 148,400 143,900 
			 DEO/R compliance at end of period (percentage) 78 78 77 76 78 80 
			 Suspended Committal sentences 225 390 420 480 580 440 
			 Committal Sentences 5 15 40 25 45 20 
			 Suspended driving licence disqualification sentences 25 35 30 15 45 35 
			 Driving licence disqualification sentences 5 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Prosecution for non-disclosure of information - - - - (2)1,390 955 
			 (1) Latest available information (2) Prosecutions for non-disclosure of information only available from October 2008 Notes: 1. Distress actions refer to bailiff actions in England  Wales. This is where, once the debt has been legally recognised, the agency has passed the debt to a bailiff company for collection (or equivalent). 2. Judgement orders apply only to England and Wales. This registers the person with a County Court Judgement Order, which remains on their credit record for six years. 3. Third Party Debt orders in England and Wales instruct a third party to pay any funds owed to, or held on behalf of, the non-resident parent to the agency instead. In practice this is typically used for banks and building societies. 4. Charging orders in England and Wales are where a County Court Order for the legally recognised debt is attached to the equity in the non-resident parent's property. 5. Attachments refer to actions taken by Sheriff Officers in Scotland on the agency's instruction to attach certain goods and remove for auction if the debt is not settled. 6. Arrestments refer to actions taken by Sheriff Officers in Scotland on the agency's instruction to serve an arrestment on a third party holding funds owed to, or held on behalf of, the non-resident parent to pay to the agency instead. In practice this is typically used for banks and building societies. 7. Bills of Inhibition in Scotland do not attach directly to the non-resident parent's property, but are a personal prohibition preventing heritable property being transferred, alienated or disposed of by the non-resident parent. 8. The number of new Deduction from Earnings Order/Requests showed a marked increase in January 2007. This was due to a fix on the CS2 system in December 2006 to suspend 8,500 ineffective Deduction from Earnings Orders on cases where employers had informed the agency that the non-resident parent on that case was no longer in their employment. Many of these were reinstated as Deduction from Earnings Order/Requests in January 2007 resulting in a large increase that is in effect not real. In order to allow more consistent comparisons, figures for January 2007 have been removed and therefore figures for April 2006 to March 2007 and August 2006 to July 2007 are underestimated by around 6,000 requests. 9. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5. 
		
	
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Council Tax Benefits

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many council tax benefit recipients there were in  (a) each local authority area in the East of England and  (b) England in each of the last 10 years.

Helen Goodman: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Council Tax Benefits and Housing Benefit

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average weekly payment of  (a) council tax benefit and  (b) housing benefit was to a (i) private renter and (ii) social tenant in each year since 1997.

Helen Goodman: The available information is in the tables.
	Council tax benefit figures are not available by tenancy type.
	
		
			  Council tax benefit recipients average weekly amount :  Great Britain 
			   Month  (£) 
			 1997 May 7.30 
			 1998 May 8.20 
			 1999 May 8.80 
			 2000 May 9.40 
			 2001 May 10.10 
			 2002 May 10.80 
			 2003 May 12.13 
			 2004 May 13.12 
			 2005 May 13.58 
			 2006 May 14.13 
			 2007 May 14.62 
			  Notes: 1. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 2. Average awards are shown as pounds per week and rounded to the nearest penny. So urce:  Housing benefit and council tax benefit management information system Quarterly 100 per cent. taken in August 2007 
		
	
	
		
			  Council tax benefit recipients average weekly amount: November 2008 and October 2009: Great Britain 
			   Month  £ 
			 2008 December 15.10 
			 2009 December 15.76 
			  Notes: 1. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 2. Average awards are shown as pounds per week and rounded to the nearest penny. 3. Inaugural SHBE data was extracted at November 2008. 4. October 2009 represents the latest data held.  Source:  Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE). 
		
	
	
		
			  All housing benefit recipients average weekly amounts by tenure May 1997 to May 2007: Great Britain 
			   Month  Social tenant (£)  Private tenant (£) 
			 1997 May 38.90 57.95 
			 1998 May 40.33 58.83 
			 1999 May 42.64 60.11 
			 2000 May 44.94 61.51 
			 2001 May 47.97 64.36 
			 2002 May 51.41 68.63 
			 2003 May 52.11 71.53 
			 2004 May 55.78 76.23 
			 2005 May 58.70 81.71 
			 2006 May 61.81 85.09 
			 2007 May 65.38 88.91 
			  Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Average amounts are shown as pounds per week and rounded to the nearest penny. 3. Social tenants comprise Local authority and Registered Social Landlord (RSL) tenants. 4. Private tenants include regulated and deregulated tenants.  Source:  Housing benefit and council tax benefit management information system aggregate quarterly 100 per cent. taken in May in each year shown. 
		
	
	Data for December 2008 and December 2009 are derived from the new Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) which is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems, whereas earlier years are derived from quarterly aggregate clerical returns. Figures from the two sources may not be directly comparable; the introduction of SHBE has improved the accuracy of HB/CTB statistics as it based on individual claimant records rather than summary statistics, has a higher completion rate from local authorities leading to less estimation of missing data, and is subject to more thorough quality assurance.
	
		
			  All housing benefit recipients average weekly amounts by tenure December 2008 and December 2009: Great Britain. 
			   Month  Social tenant (£)  Private tenant (£) 
			 2008 December 68.61 100.96 
			 2009 December 72.42 105.89 
			  Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Average awards are shown as pounds per week and rounded to the nearest penny. 3. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. 4. Inaugural SHBE data was extracted at November 2008. 5. October 2009 represents the latest data held. 6. Social tenants comprise Local authority and Registered Social Landlord (RSL) tenants. 7. Private tenants include regulated and deregulated tenants.  Source:  Single housing benefit extract 100 per cent. individual level data (SHBE).

Council Tax Benefits and Housing Benefit

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department spent on  (a) council tax benefit and  (b) housing benefit in 2008-09; how much her Department has spent on each benefit in 2009-10 to date; and how much she expects to be spent on each benefit in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 8 February 2010
	The information requested is in the following tables.
	
		
			  £  million ( cash ) 
			   Housing Benefit  Council Tax Benefit 
			 2008-09 expenditure 16,756 4,129 
			 2009-10 expenditure 17,344 4,284 
			 2009-10 forecast 19,532 4,656 
			 2010-11 forecast 20,776 4,959 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million (2010-11 prices) 
			   Housing Benefit  Council Tax Benefit 
			 2008-09 expenditure 17,432 4,295 
			 2009-10 expenditure 17,734 4,381 
			 2009-10 forecast 19,971 4,761 
			 2010-11 forecast 20,776 4,959 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are for expenditure by DWP through subsidies to local authorities in respect of payments of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit to claimants. They do not include benefit payments funded directly by local authorities, or subsidy paid by DWP to cover administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. 2. Figures for 2009-10 expenditure are for subsidy paid to local authorities up to and including February 2010.  Sources: Local Authority and DWP financial data and 2010 Budget forecasts

Departmental Accountancy

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 10 February 2010,  Official Report, column 1097W, on departmental accountancy, if she will place in the Library a copy of each of the five written ministerial directions.

Jonathan R Shaw: A copy of each of the Ministerial Directions will be placed in the Library. Parts of the Direction given on 15 September 1998 have been redacted in accordance with a confidentiality agreement reached at the time.

Departmental Contracts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will issue guidance on her Department's policy on the relocation offshore of departmental jobs to companies bidding for contracts let by her Department.

Jim Knight: DWP does not have plans to relocate any of its departmental jobs offshore.
	Bidders for departmental contracts may occasionally offer to move elements of their proposed delivery solutions offshore for value for money reasons. Any such proposals would be properly considered, on their individual merits, taking data security, our obligations to Public Contracts Regulations (2006), EU Procurement Directives and the WTO Government Procurement Agreements and best overall value to the UK taxpayer into account.

Departmental Data Protection

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many data security incidents there were in her Department in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and what estimate she has made of the number of persons affected.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department published details of data security incidents which arose during 2008-09, including the numbers of individuals affected, in the annual resource account which was published on 21 August 2009. We will be publishing the information for the year 2009-10 in the next resource account. The information is currently being compiled and verified before it is laid before Parliament.

Departmental Information Officers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to her Department was of employing press and media officers in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the cost to her Department was of employing such staff in the financial year 1996-97, expressed in real terms.

Jonathan R Shaw: The cost of the press office for the 12 months from March 2009 to February 2010 is £2,499,577 providing media handling for the Department, Ministers, Jobcentre Plus and the Pensions, Carers and Disability Service.
	This covers 50 members of staff who are based in London, across the English regions, Scotland and Wales. They provide a service to the Department and to journalists 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
	The Department for Work and Pensions was created in 2001. Figures for 1996-97 are not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints her Department received regarding difficulties using its website in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We do not hold figures for the number of complaints received regarding difficulties operating the Department's website.

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department spent on external website design consultants in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Over the last three years the Department has spent the following on external website design consultants:
	
		
			   Website  Cost (£000) 
			 2009 DWP Corporate 112 
			 2008 Office for Disability Issues 98 
		
	
	There are no costs recorded for 2007.
	The DWP Corporate website was redesigned as part of our response to the Sir David Varney transformational government recommendations that customer-facing content should move to Directgov and employer facing content to Business Link. We are currently working with Cabinet Office to conduct a survey that will act as a benchmark to measure customer satisfaction of the site.
	The Office for Disability issues website was redesigned as part of improvement work using customer feedback and research. Formal accessibility audits are carried out every year to ensure the website continues meet customer needs.
	All external contracts are tendered within agreed DWP contractual framework agreements.

Departmental Senior Civil Servants

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many grade 2 civil servants are employed in her Department.

Jonathan R Shaw: Grade 2 as a description of staff level is no longer in general use. Senior civil servants in roles at a similar level to the former grade 2 are now referred to as being in Senior Civil Service Pay Band 3 and usually have the job title of Director-General.
	The Department has 11 full time Senior Civil Service Pay Band 3s including two in DWP sponsored Non- Departmental Public Bodies; one in each of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and the Health and Safety Executive.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether young people taking part in the Young Person's Guarantee are to be allocated for  (a) job searches and  (b) job interviews whilst taking part in one of the full-time options mandated through the guarantee.

Jim Knight: Before a young person participates in the Young Person's Guarantee they will already have undergone an extensive period of supported job search and, where appropriate, will have received help with interviews for suitable job vacancies.
	Young people participating in the Young Person's Guarantee will continue to receive help with job search and interviews:
	As part of the in-work support given to Future Jobs Fund employees, employers are expected to provide training and support to help them move into permanent, sustained employment. From April, Jobcentre Plus will also contact FJF employees as they come towards the end of their job to provide information about jobs available in the local area. This support will complement the activities employers are undertaking to help young people in to sustained jobs.
	Young people on other strands of the Young Person's Guarantee also receive tailored help with job search and interviews.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what programmes sponsored by her Department are designed to assist young people into employment in Leeds North-West constituency.

Jim Knight: Young people in the Leeds North-West constituency are able to access a wide package of measures that the Government have implemented to address youth unemployment. From day one of their claim Jobseekers can access provision that includes targeted group sessions in jobsearch techniques, access to Local Employment Partnership vacancies and access to additional financial support towards the costs associated with finding work. We have also quadrupled funding to the Rapid Response Service which provides advice and support to people facing redundancy.
	Longer-term jobseekers who remain unemployed after six months can access provision that includes the Young Person's Guarantee, which offers the guarantee of a job, training or work experience to all long-term jobseekers aged 18-24, through the Future Jobs Fund (FJF), Routes into Work, Work Focused Training, the Community Task Force and provides access to help with self employment. To date, the Government have agreed to fund around 117,000 jobs through the FJF, and, while details of these jobs are not broken down to constituency level, we know that this total figure includes the creation of up to 734 FJF jobs by Leeds city council.
	The Backing Young Britain Campaign brings together business and public and voluntary sectors to provide jobs, internships, apprenticeships and work experience to young people aged 16-24.
	Eligible young people can also access a wide range of flexible Jobcentre Plus provision which is tailored to meet other needs, such as those with special needs due to a disability or who are lone parents.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals  (a) are eligible for assistance under and  (b) have participated in the Young Person's Guarantee scheme since its inception.

Jim Knight: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The latest available figures show that 117,400 young people (please note these are provisional figures for February 2010 and are subject to change) have been claiming jobseeker's allowance for six months or over, and all are eligible to access the wide range of provision available through the Young Person's Guarantee (YPG).
	 (b) Figures on the number of young people who have participated in the YPG are currently unavailable. We are planning to publish statistics on the YPG later this year possible, in line with the UK Statistical Authorities Code of Practice on official statistics.

Foreign Workers

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the effects on expenditure on benefits of offshoring of jobs.

Jim Knight: No specific estimate of the effect of offshoring on benefit expenditure has been made.

Funeral Payments

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many funerals received funding from the Social Fund in each of the last three years; and what assessment her Department has made of trends in the cost of funerals.

Helen Goodman: The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Funeral payment awards made in Great Britain in each of the last three years 
			   Number 
			 2006-07 41,000 
			 2007-08 40,000 
			 2008-09 41,000 
			  Notes: 1. The information provided is management information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have management information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data; for example, it does not include claims which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Figures include awards made on re-consideration or appeal.  3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 1,000  Source: Annual reports by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Social Fund. 
		
	
	All aspects of the social fund are kept under review to ensure that they deliver relevant, timely and appropriate support to the right people. The Green Paper Social Fund reform: debt, credit and low income households was published on the 15 March 2010 and it includes some discussion of funeral payments. The consultation period began on 15 March 2010 and runs until 7 June 2010.

Future Jobs Fund

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many successful bidders for Future Jobs Fund funding have  (a) reduced the number of jobs to be created from the number of the original bid and  (b) withdrawn from the scheme;
	(2)  what change there has been in the number of jobs to be created by successful bidders for Future Jobs Fund funding compared to the number of jobs contained in those bidders' original bids.

Jim Knight: No successful bidders have withdrawn from the Future Jobs Fund.
	The remaining information requested is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Hewlett Packard

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what effect the recent industrial action by Hewlett Packard employees has had on the payment by her Department of benefits by girocheque.

Helen Goodman: The recent industrial action by Hewlett Packard employees has had no effect on the payment of DWP benefits by cheque (formerly girocheques).

Hewlett Packard

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether service level agreements between Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services and her Department have been breached since 22 January 2010.

Jim Knight: There have been six minor breaches of the service level agreement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services since 22 January 2010. None of the breaches has affected the Department's service to its customers. The Department took appropriate action within the terms of the service level agreement.

Housing Benefit: Cambridgeshire

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Peterborough and  (b) Cambridgeshire are receiving local housing allowance.

Helen Goodman: The available information is in the table
	
		
			  Housing benefit recipients-local housing allowance (LHA) tenants in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire; as at December 2009 
			   Number 
			 City of Peterborough 3,520 
			 Cambridgeshire 4,990 
			  Notes: 1. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 2. Local housing allowance tenants may include a small number of non-LHA cases making a new claim since 7 April 2008. This will include recipients in caravan accommodation. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 5. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data is available monthly from November 2008 and December 2009 is the most recent available. 6. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. An extended payment is a payment that may be received for a further four weeks when they start working full time, work more hours or earn more money.  7. Data from SHBE incorporates the local authority changes from 1 April 2009.  Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her policy is on compensation awarded to former coal miners diagnosed with work-related physical and mental medical conditions; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Jobcentre Plus administers the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits (IIDB) scheme which provides non-contributory no fault benefits for disablement at work arising from an accident or one of over 70 prescribed diseases known to be a risk of occupation.
	Miners may qualify for a payment if they have been disabled as a result of an accident or have one of the following diseases which have been specifically prescribed for diseases caused by work in the coal mining industry:
	Prescribed Disease D12-chronic bronchitis and emphysema (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
	Prescribed Disease A14-osteoarthritis of the knee.
	Prescribed Disease B4-ankylostomiasis-exposure to blood sucking parasites and hookworms.
	Where appropriate, miners commonly claim for the following other diseases under the IIDB scheme, although these also cover other occupations:
	Prescribed Disease A6-bursitis (commonly known by miners as 'beat knee').
	Prescribed Disease A11-Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome, commonly known as vibration white finger.
	Prescribed Disease D1-pneumoconiosis.
	Prescribed Disease A10-occupational deafness.
	Prescribed Disease D5-non-infective dermatitis.
	There may also be entitlement to Reduced Earnings Allowance if the date of onset of the disease is before 1 October 1990.
	Miners may also qualify under the Pneumoconiosis etc (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 which makes lump sum payments to sufferers of certain dust related diseases.

Jobcentre Plus

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus branches there were in  (a) rural and  (b) urban areas in (i) England and (ii) Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is the responsibility of the chief executive, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many Jobcentre Plus branches there were in (a) rural and (b) urban areas in (i) England and (ii) Wales in each of the last 10 years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	I am only able to provide information on Jobcentre Plus offices since April 2002, when Jobcentre Plus was created by the merger of the former Employment Service and Benefits Agency. Our public facing network is designed to provide reasonable access to our services throughout England and Wales. Offices open to the public are not categorised as constituting part of an urban conurbation or being sited within a rural location.
	Jobcentre Plus inherited around 1,500 offices from the merger of the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service in 2002. At the time of merger the two organisations had many offices which were geographically close to each other, often in the same street. We have modernised our Jobcentre network to improve customer service, rationalising our estate to provide excellent high street coverage and a single, integrated customer facing office, at the same time reducing cost to the tax payer. We remain the largest office network in Government with 741 modern Jobcentres. This high street presence is supported by 31 modern contact centres and 79 main benefit processing centres.
	The great majority of our services (in common with most large, modern organisations) are now also delivered through the telephone and internet. For example, to give customers more convenient access, we have almost half a million vacancies on-line at any time (our website receives close to one million job searches every working day), and new claims to benefit are predominantly taken by telephone with some taken on-line. In order to make our services more accessible to customers we are providing a range of support through outreach, often delivering advisory and other support on partners' premises This has brought our customer facing services together in a more coherent and integrated network and I believe Jobcentre Plus is well-placed to respond to the full range of economic conditions.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus: Recruitment

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Jobcentre Plus spent on recruitment in 2008-09; and what proportion of staff costs such expenditure represented.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to respond to your questions asking how much Jobcentre Plus spent on recruitment in 2008-09; and what proportion of staff costs such expenditure represented. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	There are a variety of activities that contribute to the cost of recruitment including the cost of training staff to undertake recruitment exercises; expenses such as travel and accommodation that may be incurred in attending interviews; the cost of hiring venues where required; publicity costs for recruitment campaigns; security and Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks; administration services provided by DWP Shared Service; the cost of Jobcentre Plus staff time spent on recruitment, for example sifting applications and the use of external recruitment providers where necessary. Additionally, we advertise all our vacancies through Jobcentre Plus as a matter of course.
	These recruitment costs are not recorded separately within our financial systems so we cannot provide the amount spent on recruitment in Jobcentre Plus in 2008-09.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged  (a) under 25,  (b) 25 to 50 and  (c) over 50 years old (i) claimed jobseeker's allowance and (ii) were helped into employment by Jobcentre Plus in each Jobcentre Plus district in each month from January 2008.

Jim Knight: The available information on jobseeker's allowance claimants has been placed in the Library.
	The Office for National Statistics also publishes voluntarily provided information on the numbers of people leaving jobseeker's allowance for employment on the Nomis website. As the provision of those data is voluntary, it does not have sufficient coverage to give the complete picture.

Jobseeker's Allowance: East of England

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average duration of jobseeker's allowance claim was in each local authority area in the East of England in each of the last  (a) 12 months and  (b) 10 years.

Helen Goodman: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Means-tested Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons with a national insurance number who are  (a) 21 or under and  (b) over 21 years old claim all means-tested benefits.

Jim Knight: All claimants are required to have, or have applied for a national insurance number (NINO) when they claim benefits; however, possession of a NINO does not in and of itself confer any rights to benefits on its holder. The most recent available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Income support (IS) and income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA (IB)) claimants by age, Great Britain, August 2009 
			   All ages  Aged 21 years and under  Aged over 21 years 
			 IS 1,955,330 145,310 1,810,010 
			 JSA (IB) 1,055,700 262,000 793,700 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for JSA (IB) have been uprated using 5 per cent. proportions against 100 per cent. WPLS totals and rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Figures for IS are taken from 100 per cent. data and rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 4. JSA (IB) benefit type: The benefit type is defined as pay status at the case load date-this may differ to the status at the start or end of the claim. 5. JSA (IB) includes a small number of claimants with both contributory-based and income-based entitlement.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) Information Directorate, 100 per cent., 5 per cent. samples. 
		
	
	
		
			  Employment and support allowance (income-based) claimants by age, Great Britain, August 2009 
			   All ages  Aged 21 years and under  Aged over 21 years 
			 Number 190,380 29,840 160,540 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Employment and support allowance (ESA) replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 4. ESA, income-based benefit type: The benefit type is defined as pay status at the case load date-this may differ to the status at the start or end of the claim. 5. Income-based ESA includes a small number of claimants with both contributory-based and income-based entitlement.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). 
		
	
	
		
			  Pension credit claimants, Great Britain, August 2009 
			   Number 
			 Total 2,737,290 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003 and replaced minimum income guarantee (income support for people aged 60 or over). The vast majority of people who were previously in receipt of the minimum income guarantee transferred to pension credit in October 2003. These pension credit statistics are produced on a different basis to the early estimates. The latter are more timely but operational processing times mean that a number of claim commencements and terminations are not reflected in them. 3. This data represents all claimants as this benefit is not paid to anyone aged under 60.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). 
		
	
	
		
			  Housing benefit and council tax benefit claimants by age, Great Britain, November 2009 
			   All ages  Aged 21 years and under  Aged over 21 years 
			 Housing benefit 4,579,180 184,370 4,394,520 
			 Council tax benefit 5,600,830 137,200 5,463,300 
			  Notes: 1. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 4. Council tax benefit figures exclude any single adult rebate cases. 5. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data is available monthly from November 2008 and November 2009 is the most recent available. 6. There will be overlaps in data between housing benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB) and between HB/CTB and the other benefits shown in the preceding tables.  Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households received assistance under the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme in each of the last 24 months.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 10 February 2010
	Financial support for home owners who are having difficulty in meeting their mortgage payments is provided through the benefits system. Help is available towards the interest on mortgages (known as Support for Mortgage Interest) as part of income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment and support allowance and state pension credit.
	The following table shows the number of households who have received assistance under the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme each quarter since February 2008. The information requested is not available on a monthly basis.
	
		
			  Income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance and state pension credit claimants who are receiving assistance under the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme 
			   Total SMI population 
			 February 2008 204,900 
			 May 2008 202,200 
			 August 2008 199,400 
			 November 2008 197,400 
			 February 2009 204,200 
			 May 2009 215,400 
			 August 2009 221,000 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Figures have been uprated using 5 per cent. proportions against 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study totals. 3. Employment and support allowance was introduced in October 2008. No estimate is available yet for the number of employment and support allowance (income-related) cases. 4. The best statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources. In this case reliable data for mortgage interest support is not available from the 100 per cent. data so the 5 per cent. data has been used, the latest of which is August 2009. 5. Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003 and replaced minimum income guarantee (income support for people aged 60 or over). The vast majority of people who were previously in receipt of the minimum income guarantee transferred to pension credit in October 2003. Residual minimum income guarantee cases are included in the income support figures. 6. Pension credit is claimed on a household basis and therefore the number of people that pension credit helps is the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are also claiming.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. Quarterly Statistical Enquiry Data, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the West Midlands have received assistance under the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme since its inception.

Helen Goodman: Financial support for homeowners who are having difficulty in meeting their mortgage payments is provided through the benefits system. Help is available towards the interest on mortgages (known as Support for Mortgage Interest) as part of income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, and income-related employment and support allowance and state pension credit.
	Support for Mortgage Interest was available through supplementary benefit which was replaced by income support in 1988. A complete series of quality assured data is not available before August 1997.
	The available information is in the table:
	
		
			  Income support, income-based jobseekers allowance and state pension credit claimants who are receiving assistance under the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme in the west midlands 
			  Quarter  Total support for Mortgage Interest population in west midlands 
			  1997  
			 August 35,600 
			 November 34,800 
			   
			  1998  
			 February 34,000 
			 May 33,000 
			 August 32,600 
			 November 31,300 
			   
			  1999  
			 February 30,900 
			 May 30,300 
			 August 29,800 
			 November 29,100 
			   
			  2000  
			 February - 
			 May 27,700 
			 August 27,800 
			 November 27,300 
			   
			  2001  
			 February 27,500 
			 May 27,000 
			 August 26,700 
			 November 26,300 
			   
			  2002  
			 February 25,400 
			 May 25,300 
			 August 25,800 
			 November 25,300 
			   
			  2003  
			 February 25,100 
			 May 25,000 
			 August 24,000 
			 November 23,100 
			   
			  2004  
			 February 23,000 
			 May 23,700 
			 August 23,500 
			 November 24,000 
			   
			  2005  
			 February 23,800 
			 May 23,700 
			 August 23,600 
			 November 23,100 
			   
			  2006  
			 February 22,700 
			 May 22,400 
			 August 22,600 
			 November 22,200 
			   
			  2007  
			 February 21,700 
			 May 21,700 
			 August 20,900 
			 November - 
			   
			  2008  
			 February 20,100 
			 May 19,700 
			 August 19,400 
			 November 19,200 
			   
			  2009  
			 February 20,600 
			 May 21,900 
			 August 22,200 
			 Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Figures have been up-rated using 5 per cent. proportions against 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study totals. 3. The quarter November 2007 is unavailable. 4. The quarter February 2000 is unavailable. 5. Employment and support allowance was introduced in October 2008. No estimate is available yet for the number of employment and support allowance (income-related) cases. 6. The best statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources. In this case reliable data for mortgage interest support are not available from the 100 per cent. data so the 5 per cent data have been used. The latest of which is August 2009. 7. Pension Credit was introduced on 6 October 2003 and replaced minimum income guarantee (income support for people aged 60 or over). The vast majority of people who were previously in receipt of the minimum income guarantee transferred to pension credit in October 2003. Residual minimum income guarantee cases are included in the income support figures. 8. Pension credit is claimed on a household basis and therefore the number of people that pension credit helps is the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are also claiming. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. Quarterly Statistical Enquiry Data, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

New Deal Schemes

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) young people,  (b) long-term unemployed,  (c) disabled people,  (d) lone parents and  (e) people in total living in York have been assisted into work by the New Deal programmes (i) since 1997 and (ii) in the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: The jobseeker support regime delivered by Jobcentre Plus has been very successful and the new deal programme has helped more than 2.2 million people into work since it was introduced in 1998.
	The introduction of the Flexible New Deal will support the Government's aim of helping more people secure sustained employment through tailored, flexible help and support, particularly for those people who experience repeated cycles of unemployment. The Flexible New Deal will be available in most areas of the country by October 2010.
	The available information can be found in the following tables:
	
		
			  New deal: Jobs (spells) in York parliamentary constituency 
			  Number 
			   New deal for young people  New deal for lone parents  New deal for disabled people  Total 
			 Total 1,680 1,780 300 3,760 
			 1998 150 (1)- (1)- 150 
			 1999 220 100 (1)- 320 
			 2000 190 120 (1)- 310 
			 2001 170 140 (1)- 310 
			 2002 130 170 10 310 
			 2003 130 160 10 300 
			 2004 130 200 20 350 
			 2005 80 200 40 320 
			 2006 110 120 70 300 
			 2007 160 210 110 480 
			 2008 100 230 40 370 
			 2009 110 120 (2)- 230 
		
	
	
		
			  New deal: Jobs (spells) in York parliamentary constituency 
			  Number 
			   New deal for young p eople  New deal for lone p arents  Total 
			 Total since August 2008 160 200 360 
			 August 2008 10 10 20 
			 September 2008 10 30 40 
			 October 2008 10 20 30 
			 November 2008 10 20 30 
			 December 2008 (1)- 10 10 
			 January 2009 10 20 30 
			 February 2009 10 10 20 
			 March 2009 10 10 20 
			 April 2009 10 20 30 
			 May 2009 20 10 30 
			 June 2009 20 10 30 
			 July 2009 30 20 50 
			 August 2009 10 10 20 
			 (1) Nil or negligible.  (2) Not applicable.   Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Some disclosure control has been applied. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  2. The latest new deal figures are starting to show the effects of the introduction of the new Jobseekers Regime and Flexible New Deal (JRFND). The scheme is being gradually implemented in phase 1 areas from April 2009 and in the remaining phase 2 districts from April 2010.  3. The calendar year of starting new deal. Latest data are to August 2009.  4. The new deal for young people pilots began in January 1998 and full national roll-out occurred in April 1998.  5. The new deal for lone parents was introduced in October 1998.  6. The new deal for disabled people was introduced in July 2001.  7. Data are not available for new deal for disabled people as it was phased out in the area from April 2008 and replaced by another Government initiative known as Provider led (PI) Pathways to Work. 8. Data for all long-term (12 month) unemployed people moving into work through the new deal are not available. Flows between benefit data and new deal statistical information are not available.   Source:  Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate.

New Deal Schemes: Chesterfield

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in Chesterfield constituency have entered into work after participation in the New Deal programme since 1997.

Jim Knight: holding answer 25 February 2010
	The jobseeker support regime delivered by Jobcentre Plus has been very successful and the New Deal programme has helped more than 2.2 million people into work since it was introduced in 1998.
	The introduction of the Flexible New Deal will support the Government's aim of helping more people secure sustained employment through tailored, flexible help and support, particularly for those people who experience repeated cycles of unemployment. The Flexible New Deal will be available in most areas of the country by October 2010.
	The following table sets out the numbers of people who have moved from the New Deal for Young People, the New Deal 25 Plus, the New Deal for Partners and New Deal for Lone Parents immediately into work. The latest data held are up to August 2009.
	
		
			  Numbers of people leaving New Deals for employment 1997 to August 2009: Chesterfield Westminster parliamentary constituency 
			   Total  Employment  Employment and benefits  Other 
			 New Deal For Young People 4,930 1,940 160 2,830 
			 New Deal 25+ 2,620 750 60 1,810 
			 New Deal For Partners(1) 40 10 10 20 
			 New Deal For Lone Parents 2,440 1,030 210 1,190 
			 (1) The measure used for New Deal for Partners is Leavers (Individuals) as spells are not available in these cases.  Notes:  Definitions and Conventions: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Westminster parliamentary constituency (post May 2005) is allocated using the ONS Postcode Directory and customer's postcode. 3. Other includes: Benefits-Income Support, Benefits-Incapacity Benefit/ESA, Benefits-Other/Unknown benefits, Other known, and Off Benefits/Unknown-Other categories include people who may have found a job, but have not notified Jobcentre Plus. 4. Information for leavers on New Deal for Disabled People and New Deal for 50+ is not available. 5. We do not require people leaving the New Deal programmes to record exactly where they leave to.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate Published

New Deal Schemes: Expenditure

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse of the New Deal programme has been in each year since its inception.

Jim Knight: The available information can be found in the following table.
	Since 1998 the New Deal has led a major transformation in employment support for people in Britain. Together, the different New Deal programmes have helped around 2.25 million people into work.
	
		
			  Programme and administration expenditure on New Deal 1997 to 2003 
			  Period  Yearly outturn for New Deal programmes (£ million) 
			 1997-98 43 
			 1998-99 314 
			 1999-2000 535 
			 2000-01 565 
			 2001-02 629 
			 2002-03 614 
		
	
	From 2002-03 onwards HM Treasury agreed to simplify reporting arrangements and only required the Department to report on total New Deal expenditure. As the Department was no longer required to manage administrative budgets for individual New Deals, managers were afforded extended flexibility in deploying the resources available to them. In addition to the programme expenditure, the figures in the following table therefore only include the direct staff costs of administering New Deal programmes (calculated on the basis of number full time equivalent staff delivering the programme) and are not directly comparable with the figures contained in the table above which include all administrative expenditure.
	
		
			  Expenditure on New Deal 2003-09 
			  Period  Yearly outturn for New Deal programmes (£ million) 
			 2003-04 559 
			 2004-05 588 
			 2005-06 512 
			 2006-07 449 
			 2007-08 515 
			 2008-09(1) 446 
			 (1) Forecast outturn as reported in Departmental Report 2009.  Notes: 1. Yearly outturn data includes programme and administrative expenditure but excludes the cost of AME training allowances. 2. The figures for 2002-03 include an estimate of administrative expenditure. 3. These figures are available in the Departmental Report 2009 which is available in the Library.  Source: Department for Work Pensions, Employment Group Finance, Planning and Performance Division 
		
	
	The latest New Deal figures will be affected by the introduction of the new Jobseekers Regime and Flexible New Deal (gradual implementation started from April 2009).

New Deal Schemes: Expenditure

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse of the New Deal 13 week programme was  (a) in total and  (b) per participant in the last 12 months; and how many people have participated in the programme in each year since its inception.

Jim Knight: The information requested is in the following tables. Data have been provided for new deal for young people options and new deal 25-plus intensive activity period, both of which have a 13-week minimum duration.
	
		
			  Cost of new deal 13-week programme in 2008-09 
			   Total spend (£)  Total starts (Number)  Unit cost (£) 
			 New Deal for Young People Options 84,200,000 88,527 951 
			 New Deal 25-plus Intensive Activity Period 85,100,000 60,350 1,410 
			  Notes: 1. Total starts are not individuals; people may start on the options/intensive activity period more than once. 2. The options have a minimum duration of 13 weeks. Total starts include starts on opportunities of up to 52 weeks duration. 3. The employment option and subsidised employment are not included. 4. Figures have been provided for 2008-09 as this is the last complete financial year. 5. Figures provided are programme costs only and do not include the costs of administering or referring people on to these programmes by Jobcentre Plus staff, or any incidental expenses such as travel or child care.  Source: DWP: Provider Level Management Information System. 
		
	
	
		
			  New deal for young people, gateway start year on first option taken 
			  Calendar year  All 
			 1998 57,830 
			 1999 89,150 
			 2000 71,560 
			 2001 55,390 
			 2002 54,600 
			 2003 52,280 
			 2004 48,010 
			 2005 43,500 
			 2006 58,070 
			 2007 68,440 
			 2008 64,600 
			 2009 80,810 
			  Notes: 1. Definitions and conventions: Figures are displayed in thousands and rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Time series: calendar years. 3. The latest new deal for young people and new deal 25-plus figures are starting to show the effects of the introduction of the new jobseekers regime and flexible new deal (JRFND). The scheme is being gradually implemented in phase 1 areas from April 2009 and in the remaining phase 2 districts from April 2010.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate. 
		
	
	
		
			  New  deal 25-plus , gateway start year on first option taken 
			  Calendar year  All 
			 1998 5,630 
			 1999 20,750 
			 2000 18,330 
			 2001 24,440 
			 2002 44,830 
			 2003 44,260 
			 2004 37,130 
			 2005 33,450 
			 2006 37,280 
			 2007 61,290 
			 2008 65,170 
			 2009 50,290 
			  Notes: 1. Definitions and conventions: Figures are displayed in thousands and rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Time series: calendar years. 3. The latest new deal for young people and new deal 25-plus figures are starting to show the effects of the introduction of the new jobseekers regime and flexible new deal (JRFND). The scheme is being gradually implemented in phase 1 areas from April 2009 and in the remaining phase 2 districts from April 2010.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate.

Opposition

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether her Department has undertaken costings of the policies of the  (a) Conservative Party and  (b) Liberal Democrat party at the request of Ministers or special advisers in the last 36 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given today by my hon. Friend, the Exchequer Secretary (Sarah McCarthy-Fry).

Pensioners: Poverty

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the number of pensioners in poverty in  (a) Coventry and  (b) the West Midlands.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to him on 1 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 896-97W.
	The Government use a basket of three key thresholds of income, after housing costs, to measure pensioner poverty. The most commonly used figures relate to those with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, after housing costs.
	Estimates of poverty, published in the Households Below Average Income series, only allow a breakdown of the overall numbers in poverty at Government Office Region level. Therefore, information is available for the West Midlands Government office region, but not available for the city of Coventry.
	Three-year averages are used to report regional statistics as single-year estimates are subject to volatility. Figures are quoted to the nearest 100,000 and percentages are quoted to the nearest whole percentage point.
	The latest information relates to the period 2005-06 to 2007-08 in which there were around 200,000 pensioners in poverty (18 per cent.) in the West Midlands Government office region.

Personal Income

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) children,  (b) adults of working age and  (c) pensioners were living in households with between 30 and 50 per cent. of median income in each year since 1997.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 22 March 2010
	Between 1998-99 and 2007-08 some 500,000 children were lifted out of relative poverty as measured using the EU standard definition based on 60 per cent. of median income. Measures announced in and since Budget 2007 are expected to lift around a further 550,000 children out of poverty. Absolute poverty has been halved.
	Addressing pensioner poverty has been a priority for this Government. We have targeted help on the poorest pensioners, those who need it most, while providing a solid foundation of support for all.
	We have made good progress in tackling pensioner poverty. Targeted support, such as pension credit and additional funding for all pensioners has contributed to 900,000 fewer pensioners in relative poverty (measured as below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income after housing costs) in 2007-08 than in 1998-99.
	For 1997-98 to 2001-02, only information for Great Britain is available. We have therefore presented information covering Great Britain only.
	Information splitting groups with incomes below 50 per cent. of median income is not presented in the Households Below Average Income series as it is an unreliable measure of poverty. Such data for households with an income lower than 50 per cent. of median are not considered to be accurate as an indicator of living standards. These figures are not National Statistics and caution must be applied because those people stating the lowest incomes in the Family Resources Survey, (the underlying data source for the Households Below Average Income series) may not actually have the lowest living standards. Using a threshold of 60 per cent. of median income is in line with international best practice.
	Poverty for working age adults is presented after housing costs. Child poverty is presented both before housing costs and after housing costs, and pensioner poverty is presented after housing costs, in line with the relevant public service agreements.
	The most commonly used figures relate to those with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income for the three groups.
	The information given in the following table should therefore be treated with caution.
	
		
			  The numbers of children, working-age adults and pensioners in households with incomes between 30 and 50 per cent. of contemporary median income, Great Britain 1997-98 to 2007-08 
			  Million 
			   Children  Working-age adults  Pensioner 
			   BHC  AHC  AHC  AHC 
			 1997-98 1.4 2.4 3.1 1.1 
			 1998-99 1.4 2.4 3.2 1.1 
			 1999-2000 1.3 2.3 3.1 1.0 
			 2000-01 1.1 2.0 2.9 0.9 
			 2001-02 1.1 1.9 2.8 0.9 
			 2002-03 1.1 1.8 2.8 0.9 
			 2003-04 1.0 1.7 2.8 0.8 
			 2004-05 1.0 1.6 2.6 0.6 
			 2005-06 1.0 1.7 3.0 0.6 
			 2006-07 1.1 1.7 3.0 0.8 
			 2007-08 1.1 1.8 3.1 0.8 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. Both the Households Below Average Income series and the Family Resources Survey are available in the Library. 2. Small changes should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. 4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 5. For the Households Below Average Income series, incomes have been equivalised using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development equivalisation factors. 6. The number working-age adults, pensioners and children have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand individuals. 7. Figures are only available covering the United Kingdom from 1998-99. 8. Figures may not sum due to rounding.  Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP

Poverty: Children

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children have been living in poverty in the South West in each year since 1993.

Helen Goodman: Specific information regarding low income for the UK is available in 'Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2007-08'. This annual report, which is a National Statistics publication, includes the numbers and proportions of individuals, children, working age adults and pensioners with incomes below 50 per cent. 60 per cent. and 70 per cent. of median income, and the proportions in persistent poverty. For children, it also contains a measure of combined low income and material deprivation.
	Estimates of poverty by region, published in the Households Below Average Income series, begin from 1994-95.
	The number and proportion of children living in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income, on a before-housing-costs basis, are in the table.
	
		
			  Numbers and Proportion of children living in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary median household income, Before Housing Costs, South West, 1994/95-1996/97 to 2005/06-2007/08 
			   Number of children (million)  Proportion of children (p ercentage ) 
			 1994/95-1996/97 0.2 21 
			 1995/96-1997/98 0.2 21 
			 1996/97-1998/99 0.2 23 
			 1997/98-1999/2000 0.2 24 
			 1998/99-2000/01 0.2 22 
			 1999/00-2001/02 0.2 20 
			 2000/01-2002/03 0.2 19 
			 2001/02-2003/04 0.2 18 
			 2002/03-2004/05 0.2 18 
			 2003/04-2005/06 0.2 17 
			 2004/05-2006/07 0.2 17 
			 2005/06-2007/08 0.2 18 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. Both of these documents are available in the Library. 2. Small changes should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference periods for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. Three sample years have been combined for regional statistics as single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 5. For the Households Below Average Income series, incomes have been equivalised using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development equivalisation factors. 6. Information for adults includes those above State Pension age. 7. Numbers of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000.  Source:  Households Below Average Income, DWP

Poverty: Ethnic Groups

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children from an  (a) Black Caribbean,  (b) Black African,  (c) Black other,  (d) Indian,  (e) Pakistani,  (f) Bangladeshi,  (g) other Asian,  (h) Chinese,  (i) other ethnic minority and  (j) mixed race background resident in (i) the East Midlands, (ii) Leicester and (iii) England are living in severe poverty.

Helen Goodman: Between 1998-99 and 2007-08, some 500,000 children were lifted out of relative poverty as measured using the European Union standard definition based on 60 per cent. of median income. Measures announced in and since Budget 2007 are expected to lift around a further 550,000 children out of poverty. Absolute poverty has been halved.
	Child poverty statistics, published in the households below average income series, only allow a breakdown at country level of the overall number of children in relative poverty by ethnic group. This means information for (i) East Midlands and (ii) Leicester is not available.
	The ethnic groupings used in the table are the lowest level of breakdown available for the groups requested. This is because some of the groups asked for in the question have sample sizes which are too small to be reliable. Data are presented as three-year averages, due to variability in single-year estimates.
	There is no official or agreed definition of severe poverty. The households below average income series presents a range of low-income thresholds (based on 50, 60 and 70 per cent. of median income). Figures for England looking at the number of children in households below 60 per cent. of median are given in the table. Statistics based on other thresholds are given in the Households Below Average Income publication, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
	
		
			  Numbers of children living in Black Caribbean, Black Non-Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi, Chinese and other groups, and mixed race background households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income before housing costs, England, 2005-06 to 2007-08 
			  Ethnic group  Number of children (millions) 
			 Black Caribbean (1)- 
			 Black Non-Caribbean 0.1 
			 Indian 0.1 
			 Pakistani and Bangladeshi 0.3 
			 Chinese and other groups 0.1 
			 Mixed race background (1)- 
			 (1) Indicates less than 50,000 children.  Notes:  1. These statistics are based on households below average income, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. Both the households below average income series and the Family Resources Survey are available in the Library.  2. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.  3. The reference period for households below average income figures are single financial years. Three survey year averages are given for ethnic group statistics as single year estimates are subject to volatility.  4. Household ethnic group has been classified according to the ethnic group of the household reference person. The household reference person is classified as the highest income householder without regard to gender. This is consistent with the households below average income publication.  5. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication Households Below Average Income series, which uses net disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.  6. For the households below average income series, incomes have been equivalised using organisation for economic co-operation and development equivalisation factors.  7. Numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand children.  Source:  Households Below Average Income, 2005-06 to 2007-08.

Social Security Benefits

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been  (a) paid out and  (b) recovered in benefits to dead people in each of the last 10 years.

Helen Goodman: Unfortunately, through no fault of any individual, overpayments of benefit can arise following the death of a benefit recipient. Such overpayments normally arise as a result of the Department being notified of the death too late to stop an automated payment being made into the deceased's account.
	We are doing all we can to improve the current process. We now receive electronic notifications of death from the Office for National Statistics on a daily basis. This will assist in enabling a prompt cessation of payments following death and reduce such overpayments occurring.
	As from early 2009 we have a system in place whereby registrars in England and Wales automatically inform the Department on a daily basis of deaths notified to them. The Scottish Registrar's Office now notifies us of deaths by daily e-mail; this will be fully automated as from October 2010.
	The Department has a duty to seek recovery of all overpaid funds where it is reasonable and cost-effective to do so. However, we seek to do this as sensitively as possible, taking account of the fact that this will be a stressful time, particularly if the person contacted is a close friend or family member. Overpayments are written off if the deceased has no estate or there are insufficient funds in the estate.
	The following table details how much was paid to, and recovered from, the deceased as from 2006-07. The systems on which this information is based were only introduced during 2005-06 and comprehensive information is only available from 2006-07.
	
		
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Paid out (£ million) 62.0 71.7 77.4 
			 As a proportion of benefit expenditure (Percentage) 0.05 0.06 0.06 
			 Recovered (£ million) 38.0 46.0 51.0 
			  Source: Management Information from the Shared Services Debt Manager via Business Objects computer system.

Social Security Benefits: Cambridgeshire

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received  (a) jobseeker's allowance,  (b) income support and  (c) incapacity benefit in North-West Cambridgeshire constituency in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: Unemployment in the UK at the end of 2009 was more than 450,000 lower than had been predicted at the time of the 2009 Budget.
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance (JSA), incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA) and income support (IS) in North West Cambridgeshire, as at August in each of the last 10 years 
			  As at August each year  JSA  IB/SDA  IS 
			 2000 860 2,880 3,220 
			 2001 770 3,020 3,300 
			 2002 790 2,990 3,280 
			 2003 810 3,080 3,280 
			 2004 830 3,150 1,310 
			 2005 980 3,230 1,270 
			 2006 1,130 3,290 1,260 
			 2007 1,110 3,370 1,310 
			 2008 1,320 3,480 1,290 
			 2009 2,500 3,110 1,390 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Benefits are arranged hierarchically and claimants are assigned to the topmost benefit which they receive. 3. JSA: Claimant of jobseeker's allowance. 4. IB/SDA: Claimant of either incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance. 5. Income Support: Claimants include lone parents and those not included in the IB/SDA figure. 6. Most existing minimum income guarantee cases (1.8 million) were migrated to pension credit when it was introduced in October 2003. Some residual cases remain. 7. This data does not include claimants of employment and support allowance introduced from October 2008.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of claims for  (a) disability allowance and  (b) attendance allowance were approved made under special rules in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Great Britain new claims for attendance allowance and disability living allowance by special rules year to August 2009 
			  Benefit  Proportion of approved claims made under special rules ( Percentage ) 
			 Attendance Allowance 9.5 
			 Disability Living Allowance 7.6 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 2. An on-flow to disability living allowance or attendance allowance is defined as someone who is shown as in receipt of either benefit on a quarterly data extract but did not appear on the previous quarterly data extract. These yearly figures are the sum of four quarterly on-flows calculated on this basis. This means that anyone flowing on and off the benefit between data extract dates will not appear in the figures. 3. The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of disability living allowance claimants. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5 per cent. sample data, or disabling condition is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the overall 100 per cent. total for the benefit. These figures have been scaled up to the overall total.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample. Figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for attendance allowance made under special rules were approved in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Attendance allowance new claim awards for special rules by Great Britain by year August 2005 to August 2009 
			   Awards 
			 2009 28,200 
			 2008 27,400 
			 2007 29,200 
			 2006 27,500 
			 2005 28,100 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 2. An on-flow to attendance allowance is defined as someone who is shown as in receipt of benefit on a quarterly data extract but did not appear on the previous quarterly data extract. These yearly figures are the sum of four quarterly on-flows calculated on this basis. This means that anyone flowing on and off the benefit between data extract dates will not appear in the figures. For the year to August 2008 the November 2007 data extract was unavailable for technical reasons. This means that on-flows for this year comprise on-flows from May 2008 to August 2008, from February 2008 to May 2008 and from August 2007 to February 2008. 3. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 4. Caution: The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of disability living allowance claimants. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5 per cent. sample data, or disabling condition is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the overall 100 per cent. total for the benefit. These figures have been scaled up to the overall total.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample. Figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claims for incapacity benefit involved a request for medical information using an IB113 form between October 2007 and October 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Total number of incapacity benefit referrals received by Atos Healthcare and the total number where an IB113 form was requested, October 2007 to October 2008. 
			  Month  Incapacity benefit referrals  GP report requested  Percentage of referrals where a GP report was requested 
			 October 2007 157,450 19,731 13 
			 November 2007 172,627 23,017 13 
			 December 2007 93,527 12,643 14 
			 January 2008 117,143 16,659 14 
			 February 2008 106,102 13,406 13 
			 March 2008 90,202 11,387 13 
			 April 2008 107,539 14,363 13 
			 May 2008 94,609 10,986 12 
			 June 2008 102,460 11,990 12 
			 July 2008 104,015 12,347 12 
			 August 2008 84,417 10,244 12 
			 September 2008 102,069 12,647 12 
			 October 2008 107,211 14,588 14 
			 Total 1,439,371 184,008 13 
			  Source:  Atos Healthcare Management Information published to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claims for employment and support allowance involved a request for medical information using an ESA113 form in each month since October 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is the table.
	
		
			  Total number of employment and support allowance medical referrals and the total number where an ESA113 form was requested-October 2008 to February 2010. 
			   Employment and support allowance medical referrals  Number of GP reports requested  Percentage of GP reports requested 
			 October 2008 191 0 0 
			 November 2008 10,226 175 2 
			 December 2008 26,453 743 3 
			 January 2009 43,035 1,564 4 
			 February 2009 48,149 2,374 5 
			 March 2009 55,567 3,078 6 
			 April 2009 52,244 2,832 5 
			 May 2009 53,364 3,453 6 
			 June 2009 58,016 4,029 7 
			 July 2009 59,314 4,028 7 
			 August 2009 57,661 3,623 6 
			 September 2009 62,792 4,405 7 
			 October 2009 61,813 4,465 7 
			 November 2009 67,480 5,238 8 
			 December 2009 54,794 4,871 9 
			 January 2010 58,898 5,247 9 
			 Total 62,770 5,163 8 
			  Source:  Atos Healthcare Management Information published to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Unemployment Benefits

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been claiming  (a) an out-of-work benefit and  (b) a combination of different out-of-work benefits continuously since 1997.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 December 2009
	The number of people claiming one of the key out-of-work benefits has fallen by over 350,000 since 1997.
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number claiming jobseeker's allowance, incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, or income support for 12 years and over, as at August 2009 
			   Number 
			 Jobseeker 370 
			 Incapacity benefits 661,190 
			 All other income support 77,070 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Benefits are arranged hierarchically and claimants are assigned to the topmost benefit which they receive. 3. For this analysis the claim start date has been used. 4. Job seeker-claimant of job seeker's allowance. 5. Incapacity benefits-claimant of either incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance. 6. Income support-claimants of income support not included in the incapacity benefits figure.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 
		
	
	Although this group of benefits are generally known as out-of-work benefits, income support and jobseeker's allowance claimants can work for up to 16 hours a week. Where appropriate, those on incapacity benefits can also do some work under the permitted work rules.

Unemployment Benefits

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department spent on out-of-work benefits, including council tax benefit and housing benefit paid to households claiming out-of-work benefits, in each  (a) constituency and  (b) local authority area in (i) 1997, (ii) 2005 and (iii) the latest year for which figures are available.

Helen Goodman: The available information has been placed in the Library.
	Information for housing benefit and council tax benefit paid to people claiming out of work benefits, at parliamentary constituency and local authority level, is not available.
	Benefit expenditure outturn and forecast information, including breakdowns by parliamentary constituency and local authority, is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp
	A copy of this information has been placed in the Library.
	Figures for 2008-09 are in the process of being updated, and will shortly be published on the internet at the address above, and a copy placed in the Library.

Unemployment Benefits

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of children were living in a household dependent on out-of-work benefits in each  (a) constituency and  (b) local authority area in (i) 1997, (ii) 2005 and (iii) the latest year for which figures are available.

Helen Goodman: Between 1998-99 and 2007-08, some 500,000 children were lifted out of relative poverty as measured using the EU standard definition based on 60 per cent. of median income. Measures announced in and since Budget 2007 are expected to lift around a further 550,000 children out of poverty. Absolute poverty has been halved.
	The information as requested is not available for 1997. The available information for 2005 and the latest year for which figures are available have been placed in the Library.

Unemployment Benefits

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people of working age in each  (a) local authority area and  (b) constituency were claiming an out-of-work benefit in (i) 1997, (ii) 2005 and (iii) the latest year for which figures are available.

Helen Goodman: Unemployment in the UK at the end of 2009 was more than 450,000 lower than had been predicted at the time of the 2009 Budget.
	The available information has been placed in the Library.

Welfare to Work: Standards

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's most recent monthly summary report on the performance of all welfare-to-work providers against agreed targets.

Jim Knight: A copy of the most recent report, which includes the cumulative performance of contracted provision up to the end of December 2009, has been placed in the Library, alongside an average monthly jobs graph.
	DWP is looking at making contracted performance information available on a regular basis via the DWP Website.
	The publishable version of the report has commercially sensitive and unaudited finance portions removed.

Winter Fuel Payments: Cambridgeshire

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for winter fuel payments were made by households in  (a) North-West Cambridgeshire,  (b) Cambridgeshire and  (c) Peterborough in the latest period for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: Information on winter fuel payment claims made by households in  (a) North-West Cambridgeshire,  (b) Cambridgeshire and  (c) Peterborough is not available.
	For winter 2008-09, the latest year for which information is available, the following numbers of winter fuel payments were made to households:
	
		
			   Number 
			 North West Cambridgeshire 14,970 
			 Cambridgeshire 86,570 
			 Peterborough 13,500 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 2.Local Authorities and Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.  Source:  Information directorate 100 per cent data.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to answer question  (a) 302791, on the Social Security Advisory Committee, tabled on 25 November 2009,  (b) 307546 on parliamentary questions, tabled on 10 December 2009,  (c) 314731, on employment and support allowance, tabled on 27 January 2010,  (d) 305047, on Jobcentre Plus, tabled on 28 January 2010,  (e) 314936, on Jobcentre Plus, tabled on 28 January 2010,  (f) 314935 on benefit delivery centres, tabled on 28 January 2010,  (g) 314937 on Jobcentre Plus, tabled on 28 January 2010,  (h) 315694, on skills training, tabled on 1 February 2010,  (i) 315695, on benefit claimants moving into work, tabled on 1 February 2010,  (j) 315718, on Pathways to Work, tabled on 1 February 2010,  (k) 315717, on Pathways to Work, tabled on 1 February 2010,  (l) 315720, on allowance claims appeals, tabled on 1 February 2010,  (m) 315716, on Pathways to Work, tabled on 1 February 2010,  (n) 316364, on fraud, tabled on 3 February 2010,  (o) 316100, on user acceptance testing, tabled on 2 February 2010,  (p) 316097, on claims outcome information, tabled on 2 February 2010,  (q) 316365, on benefit fraud, tabled on 3 February 2010,  (r) 316098, on known fraud debt stock, tabled on 2 February 2010,  (s) 316401, on fraud and staff, tabled on 3 February 2010,  (t) 316398, on benefit fraud, tabled on 3 February 2010,  (u) 316402, on social security benefit and fraud, tabled on 3 February 2010,  (v) 316400, on fraud and staff, tabled on 3 February 2010,  (w) 316399, on benefits and prisoners, tabled on 3 February 2010,  (x) 316765, on alcohol misuse, tabled on 5 February 2010,  (y) 316779, on the Institute for Fiscal Studies, tabled on 5 February 2010,  (z) 316778, on obesity, tabled on 5 February 2010,  (aa) 316776, on cancer, tabled on 5 February 2010,  (bb) 316775, on problem drug users, tabled on 5 February 2010 and  (cc) 316777, on drug and alcohol dependency, tabled on 5 February 2010.

Jim Knight: I have replied to the hon. Member's questions as follows:
	 (a) 302791 on 8 March 2010,  Official Report, column 78W;
	 (b) 307546 on 5 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1422W;
	 (c) 314731 on 1 February 2010,  Official Report, column 32W;
	 (d) 305047 (315047) on 26 February 2010,  Official Report, column 765W;
	 (e) 314936 on 10 February 2010,  Official Report, column 1104W;
	 (f) 314935 on 10 February 2010,  Official Report, column 1103W;
	 (g) 314937 on 23 February 2010,  Official Report, column 461W;
	 (h) 315694 on 24 February 2010,  Official Report, column 579W;
	 (i) 315695 on 15 March 2010,  Official Report, column 606W;
	 (j) 315718 on 2 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1034W;
	(k) 315717 on 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 98W;
	 (l) 315720 on 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 40W;
	 (m) 315716 on 23 February 2010,  Official Report, column 463W;
	 (n) 316364 on 5 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1421W;
	 (o) 316100 on 23 February 2010,  Official Report, column 461W;
	 (p) 316097 on 23 February 2010,  Official Report, column 459W;
	 (q) 316365 on 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 105W;
	 (r) 316098 on 16 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 806-07W;
	 (s) 316401 on 15 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 597-98W;
	 (t) 316398 on 16 March 2010,  Official Report, column 807W;
	 (u) 316402 on 10 February 2010,  Official Report, column 1105W;
	 (v) 316400 on 15 March 2010,  Official Report, column 597W;
	 (w) 316399 on 25 March 2010, Official Report, column 421W;
	 (x) 316765 on 2 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1039W;
	 (y) 316779 on 25 February 2010,  Official Report, column 727W;
	(z) 316778 on 2 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1042W;
	 (aa) 316776 on 4 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1315W;
	 (bb) 316775 on 2 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1040W;
	 (cc) 316777 on 23 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 199-200W.

Young People: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the number of young people in Birmingham who have received assistance from the  (a) Backing Young Britain and  (b) Young Person's Guarantee programme.

Jim Knight: Information on the number of young people who have received assistance from Backing Young Britain is not currently available; we are currently considering publication of relevant statistics at a future date.
	Information on starts on the various elements of the Young Person's Guarantee is not currently available but will be made available later this year through a statistical release. This is normal practice for the Department's employment programmes and allows time for the information to be collected, understood, verified and reported.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Berkshire

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding has been allocated to each school in  (a) Reading East constituency and  (b) Berkshire under the Building Schools for the Future Scheme; and when he expects each grant to be paid to the relevant local education authority.

Vernon Coaker: School capital allocations are allocated at local authority level and no central records are maintained which distinguish between parliamentary constituencies. None of the authorities in Berkshire, including Reading, have yet entered the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Therefore no BSF funding has been allocated to schools in these authorities. BSF projects are prioritised based on educational and social need and on a local authority's ability to provide robust evidence of their readiness to deliver. We are not yet able to say when the authorities will be invited to join the programme. However, we are committed to seeing all local authorities enter the programme as soon as is practicable.

Children's Centres: South East

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Sure Start children's centres have been established  (a) in each district council area in Hampshire and  (b) in the Isle of Wight in each year since the inception of the programme.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 18 March 2010
	Table 1 details how many Sure Start children's centres have been established  (a) in district councils in Hampshire and  (b) the Isle of Wight in each year since the inception of the programme.
	
		
			Sure Start children's centres established (designated) each year
			  Local authority  Council  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  Sub Total  Children's centres mergers  Total 
			 Hampshire Basingstoke  Deane Borough Council 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 4 11 0 11 
			 Hampshire East Hampshire District Council 0 0 0 1 1 4 0 0 6 0 6 
			 Hampshire Eastleigh Borough Council 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 3 9 1 8 
			 Hampshire Fareham Borough Council 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 1 5 0 5 
			 Hampshire Gosport Borough Council 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 0 6 0 6 
			 Hampshire Hart District Council 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 0 7 
			 Hampshire Havant Borough Council 1 0 1 2 1 4 0 0 9 1 8 
			 Hampshire New Forest District Council 0 0 1 0 0 9 0 0 10 0 10 
			 Hampshire Rushmoor Borough Council 0 0 1 0 0 5 1 0 7 1 6 
			 Hampshire Test Valley Borough Council 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 1 6 0 6 
			 Hampshire Winchester City Council 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 4 8 0 8 
			 Hampshire Total  1 1 4 5 3 46 4 20 84 3 81 
			  
			 Isle of Wight  0 1 3 1 3 0 1 - 9 1 8

Children's Centres: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Sure Start centres there are in Torbay constituency; and how many children are enrolled at such centres.

Dawn Primarolo: There are a total of four designated Sure Start Children's Centres in Torbay constituency reaching over 2,600 children under five and their families. Reach area defines those children and families with the opportunity to access children's centres. Figures for the number of children under five and their families actually attending and using children's centres are not collected centrally.

Departmental Publications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the dates of publication of any regular statistics or reports by his Department have been affected by planning for the forthcoming general election.

Vernon Coaker: On the announcement of a general election, the Cabinet Secretary issues guidance to Departments on their activities during the pre-election period. This will be published on the Cabinet Office website.
	Regular statistical releases and reports will continue to be issued and published during the election period on dates which have been pre-announced.

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will publish the travel guidance issued to staff at each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies.

Diana Johnson: Copies of the Department's non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) travel policy and guidance will be placed in the House Libraries in due course.

Education Maintenance Allowance: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people from City of York constituency are in receipt of education maintenance allowance; and what the average monetary value of such allowances is.

Iain Wright: This information is held by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). I have asked the LSC's chief executive, Geoff Russell, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 24 March 2010:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question 324222 that asked:
	How many young people from City of York constituency are in receipt of education maintenance allowance; and what the average monetary value of such allowance is.
	Information on the number of young people who have received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority Level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	EMA take-up for York Local Authority area in the 2009/10 academic year was, at the end of February, 1,520.
	The York average is unavailable but the value of all weekly payments released to learners nationally is £27.69. These figures comprise, historically, 80% of learners receiving £30, 10% of learners receiving £20 and the remaining 10% receiving £10.
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 is available on the LSC website, at the following address:
	http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/Data/statistics/learner/EMA_take_up.htm

Education: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on  (a) primary education,  (b) secondary education and  (c) adult education in (i) Coventry and (ii) the West Midlands since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The available information on how much has been spent on primary and secondary education is shown in the following tables. Adult education is a matter for the Department for Business and Innovation.
	
		
			  School-based expenditure in primary and secondary schools from 1997-98 to 2008-09 
			  Coventry 
			   Primary education  Pre-primary and primary education  Secondary education  Total (including pre-primary)  Total (excluding pre-primary) 
			 1997-98 - 52,796,000 49,730,000 102,526,000 - 
			 1998-99 - 57,250,000 53,666,000 110,916,000 - 
			   
			 1999-2000 62,302,000 63,421,000 58,187,000 121,608,000 120,489,000 
			 2000-01 67,336,000 68,317,000 64,529,000 132,846,000 131,865,000 
			 2001-02 76,495,000 77,991,000 71,878,000 149,869,000 148,373,000 
			   
			 2002-03 71,055,000 - 70,316,000 - 141,370,000 
			 2003-04 75,160,000 - 77,614,000 - 152,774,000 
			 2004-05 78,127,000 - 83,505,000 - 161,633,000 
			 2005-06 83,746,000 - 90,674,000 - 174,420,000 
			 2006-07 89,577,000 - 94,730,000 - 184,307,000 
			 2007-08 94,059,000 - 100,271,000 - 194,330,000 
			 2008-09 97,844,000 - 104,175,000 - 202,019,000 
		
	
	
		
			  England 
			   Primary education  Pre-primary and primary education  Secondary education  Total (including pre-primary)  Total (excluding pre-primary) 
			 1997-98 - 7,277,910,000 5,775,271,000 13,053,181,000 - 
			 1998-99 - 7,834,434,000 6,049,029,000 13,883,463,000 - 
			   
			 1999-2000 8,602,543,000 8,842,966,000 8,257,736,000 17,100,731,000 16,860,279,000 
			 2000-01 9,425,272,000 9,761,443,000 9,093,528,000 18,854,970,000 18,518,799,000 
			 2001-02 10,495,632,000 10,918,773,000 10,261,440,000 21,180,213,000 20,757,072,000 
			   
			 2002-03 10,584,953,000 - 10,621,927,000 - 21,206,880,000 
			 2003-04 11,379,539,000 - 11,768,559,000 - 23,148,098,000 
			 2004-05 11,900,153,000 - 12,603,303,000 - 24,503,456,000 
			 2005-06 12,721,978,000 - 13,480,547,000 - 26,202,525,000 
			 2006-07 13,394,477,000 - 14,174,472,000 - 27,568,949,000 
			 2007-08 14,184,037,000  14,908,771,000 - 29,092,808,000 
			 2008-09 14,421,551,000 - 14,976,736,000 - 29,398,287,000 
			  Notes:  1. The financial information used in the answer to this PQ is taken from the Department's section 52 data collection.  2. 1999-2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the RO1 form collected by CLG (formerly ODPM) to the section 52 form (now section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009) from the DCSF. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) and the associated restructuring of the outturn tables. The change in sources is shown by the blank row. From 2002-03 school-based expenditure is taken from section 52 Outturn Table A line 51 net current expenditure (NCE). For 2001-02 and earlier years the expenditure is calculated as lines 1 to 12 less lines 29, 30, 35 and 37. This differs from the old Net Institutional Expenditure (NIE) calculation only in the treatment of meals and milk which is no longer excluded and no adjustments for balances are now made. This is taken from section 52 Outturn Table 3 for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 and from the RO1 form previously.  3. Expenditure was not distinguished between the pre-primary and primary sectors until the inception of section 52 for financial year 1999-2000.  4. School-based expenditure in LA-maintained nursery schools was not recorded in 2002-03 and comparable figures are not available for 2003-04 onwards.  5. Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 26 March 2010.

GCE A-level: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils receiving free school meals obtained three or more A-levels at A grade in the last year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: In 2008, 160 (3.5 per cent.) pupils eligible for free school meals achieved three or more A grades at A-level. The percentage is of all pupils eligible for free schools meals entered for at least one GCE/Applied GCE A-level/Double Award in 2008. This figure relates to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, 31 August 2007) in maintained schools only who were eligible for free school meals when they were academic age 16. The figures do not include the achievement of students in further education sector colleges previously eligible for free school meals.

GCSE

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils in each local authority area achieved  (a) five GCSEs or equivalent at grades A* to C and  (b) five GCSEs or equivalent including English and mathematics at grades A* to C in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

GCSE

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils  (a) eligible for free school meals and  (b) not eligible for free school meals were entered for GCSEs in each subject in 2009.

Vernon Coaker: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  The number and percentage of pupils entered for GCSEs in each subject in 2009 by free school meal eligibility 
			   Number of FSM pupils entered  Percentage of all FSM pupils at the end of key stage 4  Number of non-FSM pupils entered  Percentage of all non-FSM pupils at the end of key stage 4 
			 Biological Science 3,525 4.7 67,757 13.4 
			 Chemistry 2,985 4.0 64,334 12.8 
			 Physics 2,954 4.0 64,231 12.7 
			 Core Science 53,925 72.5 378,560 75.1 
			 Additional Science 30,470 41.0 275,635 54.7 
			 Additional Applied Science 6,965 9.4 39,902 7.9 
			 Single Award Science 53,927 72.5 378,603 75.1 
			 English 67,351 90.5 487,358 96.6 
			 Maths 68,130 91.6 489,359 97.0 
			 Statistics 6,112 8.2 63,908 12.7 
			 Design and Technology and Electronics 1,028 1.4 10,583 2.1 
			 Design and Technology and Food Technology 7,003 9.4 58,591 11.6 
			 Design and Technology and Graphics 5,498 7.4 49,547 9.8 
			 Design and Technology and Resistant Materials Technology 7,889 10.6 60,360 12.0 
			 Design and Technology and Systems Control 436 0.6 5,325 1.1 
			 Design and Technology and Textiles Technology 4,551 6.1 34,133 6.8 
			 Office Technology 3,465 4.7 28,372 5.6 
			 Information Technology 3,791 5.1 46,167 9.2 
			 Business Studies 5,696 7.7 63,969 12.7 
			 Home Economics 3,401 4.6 19,158 3.8 
			 Geography 11,049 14.9 137,972 27.4 
			 History 13,466 18.1 160,715 31.9 
			 Music 2,951 4.0 39,641 7.9 
			 Art and Design 17,714 23.8 135,362 26.8 
			 Fine Art 4,019 5.4 36,876 7.3 
			 English Literature 44,942 60.4 399,628 79.2 
			 Drama 8,124 10.9 70,021 13.9 
			 Media, Film and Television Studies 7,314 9.8 52,715 10.5 
			 Physical Education 10,314 13.9 117,719 23.3 
			 Religious Studies 16,202 21.8 137,223 27.2 
			 French 10,273 13.8 130,311 25.8 
			 German 3,098 4.2 58,014 11.5 
			 Spanish 3,294 4.4 42,685 8.5 
			 Italian 171 0.2 2,615 0.5 
			 Arabic 676 0.9 751 0.1 
			 Bengali 581 0.8 598 0.1 
			 Chinese 109 0.1 1,168 0.2 
			 Dutch 209 0.3 211 0.0 
			 Gujarati 38 0.1 718 0.1 
			 Japanese 48 0.1 797 0.2 
			 Modern Greek 25 0.0 346 0.1 
			 Modern Hebrew 12 0.0 230 0.0 
			 Panjabi 111 0.1 760 0.2 
			 Persian 144 0.2 253 0.1 
			 Polish 61 0.1 2,021 0.4 
			 Portuguese 254 0.3 938 0.2 
			 Russian 62 0.1 871 0.2 
			 Turkish 523 0.7 624 0.1 
			 Urdu 1,248 1.7 2,747 0.5 
			 Urdu 1,248 1.7 2,745 0.5 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are revised. 2. Figures relate to pupils at the end of key stage 4 in maintained schools.  Source: National Pupil Database

GCSE

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of students in  (a) comprehensive schools,  (b) independent mainstream schools,  (c) pupil referral units,  (d) special schools,  (e) grammar schools,  (f) academies and city technology colleges and  (g) other modern and maintained schools in (i) Wirral and (ii) England attained (A) five GCSEs including English and mathematics at grades A* to C, (B) five GCSEs at grades A* to G and (C) at least one pass at key stage four in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 February 2010
	The following links give  (a) - (g) for England and Wirral figures for all schools. Further information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	 1997/98-Tables 3a and 4a .
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000063/index.shtml
	 1998/99-Tables 1 and 2 .
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000163/index.shtml
	 1999/2000-Tables 1 and 2.
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000266/index.shtml
	 2000/01-Tables 1 and 2.
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000334/index.shtml
	 2001/02-Tables 4 and 5.
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000377/index.shtml
	 2002/03-Tables 1 and 12.
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000474/index.shtml
	 2003/04-Tables 1, 4 and 16.
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000585/index.shtml
	 2004/05-Tables 2, 5 and 18.
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000664/index.shtml
	 2005/06-Tables 2, 5 and 18.
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000702/index.shtml
	 2006/07-Tables 3, 6 and 18.
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml
	 2007/08-Tables 3, 6 and 18.
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000826/index.shtml
	 2008/09-Tables 3, 6 and 16.
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000909/index.shtml
	Figures for 1996/97 to 2003/04 relate to 15-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August). Figures from 2004/05 onwards relate to pupils at the end of key stage 4.
	Figures for pupils achieving five or more GCSEs at A*-C grade including English and Maths were first published in 2005.
	The first academies were opened in 2002 and the first figures were published in 2004.
	Grammar Schools are included in Selective Schools.
	Pupil Referral Units are included in Other Maintained Schools.

GCSE

Ken Purchase: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils in state schools in Wolverhampton achieved five GCSE grades including mathematics and English in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the latest year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: In 1997, 23.3 per cent. of 15-year-old pupils in maintained schools in Wolverhampton local authority achieved five or more GCSE(1) at grades A*-C including English and mathematics.
	In 2009(2), 43.4 per cent. of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in maintained schools in Wolverhampton local authority, achieved five or more GCSE(1) at grades A*-C including English and mathematics.
	(1) GCSE and equivalents.
	(2 )Revised data.

GCSE

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of students who are  (a) partially,  (b) fully and  (c) not home-educated achieved an A grade in three or more GCSEs in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally.

GCSE: Disadvantaged

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils  (a) eligible and  (b) not eligible for free school meals did not achieve an A*- C grade at GCSE in both English and mathematics in 2003.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   15-year-old pupils( 1, 2 ) known to be eligible for free school meals who did not achieve an A*- C at GCSE in both English and mathematics GCSEs in 2002-03  Fifteen year old pupils pupils( 1, 2 ) known to not be eligible for free school meals who did not achieve an A*- C at GCSE in both English and mathematics GCSEs in 2002-03 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2002-03 67,195 82.8 266,217 53.9 
			 (1) Aged 15 on 31 October 2002. (2) Only pupils in maintained schools are included  Source:  National Pupil Database (2002-03 Final Data)

Languages: Curriculum

Robert Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he has plans to increase the  (a) time spent on study of foreign languages and  (b) number of languages studied in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: holding answer 29 March 2010
	We do not specify how much time schools should spend teaching individual subjects. It is the role of schools and teachers to decide how best to organise learning, including ensuring that sufficient time is allowed to teach the statutory requirements for each subject at each Key Stage.
	Schools are free to choose which languages they offer. Since 2008, secondary schools no longer have to teach first a working language of the European Union before offering any other language. They can now teach any major world or European language. Examples given in the programme of study are Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish and Urdu. This should act as an incentive for schools to offer a wider range of languages.
	In primary schools, languages will become compulsory from September 2011, subject to parliamentary approval of the Children, Schools and Families Bill. Schools will be free to choose which languages to offer.

Languages: GCSE

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of students  (a) eligible and  (b) not eligible for free school meals achieved a grade A* to C at GCSE in (i) French, (ii) German and (iii) Spanish in each year since 2004.

Vernon Coaker: The number and percentage of pupils achieving grade A* to C in GCSE by free school meal (FSM) eligibility in each year since 2004 are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  French 
			   FSM  non-FSM 
			   Number of pupils achieving A*-C grades  Percentage of pupils achieving A*-C grades  Number of pupils achieving A*-C grades  Percentage of pupils achieving A*-C grades 
			 2009 4,773 6.4 88,287 17.5 
			 2008 4,618 6.2 90,269 17.3 
			 2007 4,935 6.4 93,941 18.0 
			 2006 5,164 6.6 101,287 19.7 
			 2005 6,140 7.7 110,358 22.0 
			 2004 6,686 8.1 115,458 22.7 
		
	
	
		
			  German 
			   FSM  non-FSM 
			   Number of pupils achieving A*-C grades  Percentage of pupils achieving A*-C grades  Number of pupils achieving A*-C grades  Percentage of pupils achieving A*-C grades 
			 2009 1,678 2.3 42,366 8.4 
			 2008 1,643 .2.2 42,695 8.2 
			 2007 1,769 2.3 44,855 8.6 
			 2006 1,955 2.5 49,137 9.5 
			 2005 2,366 3.0 55,738 11.1 
			 2004 2,445 3.0 57,861 11.4 
		
	
	
		
			  Spanish 
			   FSM  non-FSM 
			   Number of pupils achieving A*-C grades  Percentage of pupils achieving A*-C grades  Number of pupils achieving A*-C grades  Percentage of pupils achieving A*-C grades 
			 2009 1,725 2.3 29,880 5.9 
			 2008 1,618 2.2 28,349 5.4 
			 2007 1,474 1.9 25,430 4.9 
			 2006 1,486 1.9 23,890 4.6 
			 2005 1,482 1.9 22,558 4.5 
			 2004 1,551 1.9 21,546 4.2 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are revised for 2009 and final for 2004 to 2008. 2. Figures relate to pupils in maintained schools at the end of key stage 4 for years 2005-09 and pupils aged 15 for 2004. 3. Percentages are based on 'all' FSM/non-FSM pupils at key stage 4, not just those who attempt a GCSE in the relevant subject.  Source: National Pupil Database.

Mathematics: GCE A-Level

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils  (a) eligible and  (b) not eligible for free school meals in (i) maintained, (ii) comprehensive and (iii) independent schools were entered for further mathematics A-level in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: holding answer 25 February 2010
	In 2008, free school meals entries for further mathematics are given in the table.
	
		
			   Number of pupils eligible for FSM entered for GCE A level in further mathematics  Percentage of pupils eligible for FSM entered for GCE A level in further mathematics  Number of pupils eligible for FSM entered for GCE A level in further mathematics  Percentage of pupils eligible for FSM entered for GCE A level in further mathematics 
			 Comprehensive schools 42 1.0 2,499 2.2 
			 Maintained schools 53 1.1 3,743 2.7 
		
	
	Figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2007) in maintained schools only who were eligible for free school meals.
	Percentages are of all pupils with appropriate free school meal eligibility in the relevant institution type who were entered for at least one GCE/Applied GCE A level/Double Award in 2008.
	Information on free school meal eligibility is not available for Independent schools. The figures also do not include entries of students in further education sector colleges previously eligible for free school meals.
	Figures for comprehensive schools are also included within the figures for maintained schools.

National Safeguarding Delivery Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 1069-70W, on the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit, if he will place in the Library copies of the two progress reports submitted to the DA(FCY) ministerial sub-group in July and December 2009.

Dawn Primarolo: Consistent with long-standing practice, proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees are generally not disclosed as to do so puts at risk the public interest in both collective responsibility and the full and frank discussion of policy by Ministers.

Primary Schools: Finance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Essex and (ii) Castle Point constituency have had revenue balances in excess of those predicted in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Revenue balances for individual maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools in England are publicly available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/strategy/financeandfunding/informationforlocalauthorities/section52/schoolbalances/s52sb/
	The Department collects data on the balances held by schools via the Section 52 Outturn statements (soon to be Section 251 Outturn statements). We have collected information on balances since 1999-2000. The Section 52 Outturn statements are completed by all local authorities in England and we request only the final figures for the schools in their area. We do not collect predicted figures.
	The Department considers excess balances as over 5 per cent. of budget share for secondary schools, and over 8 per cent. for all other schools. The following table provides the figures for the number of schools (primary and secondary) with balances exceeding 8 per cent. and 5 per cent. of total income in Essex from 1999-2000 to 2008-09. The Department does not hold figures by constituency.
	
		
			  The Education (Outturn Statements) (England) Regulations-school level excess revenue balances( 1,)( )( 2,)( )( 3,)( )( 4,)( )( 5)  figures for local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in Essex local authority: 1999-2000 to 2008-09 
			  Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 8 December 2009 
			   Primary  Secondary 
			Schools with excess surpluses (exceeding 8 per cent. of total income for primary schools)   Schools with excess surpluses (exceeding 5 per cent. of total income for secondary schools) 
			   Total number of primary schools  Total number of schools with excess surpluses  Percentage  of schools with excess surpluses  Total value of surpluses over excess cut-off point (£)  Average value of surpluses over excess cut-off point (£ per school)  Total number of secondary schools  Total number of schools with excess surpluses  Percentage  of schools with excess surpluses  Total value of surpluses over excess cut-off point (£)  Average value of surpluses over excess cut-off point (£ per school) 
			 1999-2000 490 257 52.4 5,159,931 20,078 80 32 40.0 3,415,615 106,738 
			 2000-01 496 324 65.3 8,771,932 27,074 79 34 43.0 4,381,826 128,877 
			 2001-02 484 331 68.4 10,819,083 32,686 80 27 33.8 3,372,231 124,897 
			 2002-03 481 251 52.2 6,811,333 27,137 80 15 18.8 2,081,341 138,756 
			 2003-04 480 219 45.6 6,422,508 29,327 81 17 21.0 1,570,367 92,375 
			 2004-05 477 247 51.8 7,515,365 30,427 80 23 28.8 2,445,881 106,343 
			 2005-06 475 221 46.5 7,503,789 33,954 80 23 28.8 2,512,459 109,237 
			 2006-07 475 222 46.7 7,958,128 35,847 80 34 42.5 4,095,696 120,462 
			 2007-08 476 244 51.3 8,696,301 35,641 80 29 36.3 5,476,888 188,858 
			 2008-09 473 207 43.8 7,312,888 35,328 80 30 37.5 6,737,165 224,572 
			 (1) A school's total revenue balance is calculated from the combination of any unspent allocations (including unspent Standards Fund grants) and the cumulative balance of income less expenditure from revenue funding sources during the financial year and any balances carried forward from previous years. This is drawn by adding together the unspent allocations and balance carried forward columns from local authorities Section 52 Outturn Statements 2001-02 (Table 2), Consistent Financial Reporting categories B01 and B02 from local authorities Section 52 Outturn Statements (Table B) 2002-03 to 2005-06 and Consistent Financial Reporting categories B01, B02 and B06 from local authorities Section 52 Outturn Statements (Table B) 2006-07 onwards. (2) Included are all local authority maintained primary and secondary schools correctly reported by the local authority on their Section 52 Outturn Statement. (3) In 2002-03 the Section 52 outturn categories were aligned with the Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) framework following the introduction of CFR to schools. Some inconsistencies with the balance figures reported by local authorities' in 2002-03 were identified and consequently caution should be exercised when using the balance figures for that year. (4) School level revenue balances are not available prior to the inception of Section 52 for the 1999-2000 financial year. (5) A schools total revenue income for the year includes all revenue funding available to the year as well as any additional income generated by the school. This does not include any revenue balances carried forward from previous years.

Schools: Consultants

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will bring forward proposals for a register of consultants and investigators seeking work from schools and local authorities.

Vernon Coaker: There are no plans for the introduction of a register of consultants and investigators who may be seeking work from schools and local authorities. The operation of disciplinary procedures, including those that result in suspension and possible dismissal is entirely a matter for local determination and schools and local authorities themselves will decide who to engage to provide any additional advice and support they feel they may need.

Schools: Internet

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received from  (a) schools and  (b) representative groups in Gloucestershire on the effects of internet charges on schools in that area; what plans he has for the future funding of the Harnessing Technology Grant; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 29 March 2010
	The Secretary of State has received a representation from the head teacher at St. Thomas More Catholic primary school in Cheltenham and others in connection with broadband internet costs and the Harnessing Technology Grant. Inquiries have also been made by schools and other representative groups to Becta, the Government's educational technology agency which covers these areas.
	Becta have replied to correspondents on these issues, on behalf of my Department, both in Gloucestershire and in relation to other counties affected by high internet charges. We sympathise with this situation, particularly with small schools that have faced increased costs. The Harnessing Technology Grant is a capital grant and can therefore only be used for capital expenditure. Broadband connectivity costs are a revenue cost, therefore the Harnessing Technology Grant cannot be used for this purpose. This has always been the case since the Harnessing Technology Grant was introduced and no changes to rules around the capital of the grant have been made. Unfortunately it is not possible to reclassify this capital funding as revenue, as some schools have requested. Broadband costs should be taken from the revenue funding that is provided for ICT in schools, but we do appreciate that there can be pressures on these budgets.
	Becta continues to offer advice to all local authorities in the regions on these issues, and have specifically said that their regional delivery team colleague would be happy to meet representatives of schools in Gloucestershire, together with local authority officers to explore ways of addressing the issues.
	The Harnessing Technology Grant itself is based on a funding formula which includes a built-in sparsity element, which helps schools in rural areas in acquiring technology, but as described above this is a capital grant and should not be used for revenue costs. £603 million has been made available through the Harnessing Technology Grant in each of the three years of the current spending review period. £201 million will be available in the 2010-11 financial year. Provision after that will be subject to the usual discussion around the next comprehensive spending review period.

Science: GCE A-level

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals passed three A levels including  (a) chemistry, biology or chemistry and biology and  (b) a science or mathematics subject in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 18 January 2010
	 The information available is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Pupils eligible for free school meals who passed three A-levels including selected subjects in 2008 
			  Subject  Number 
			 Chemistry 519 
			 Biology 622 
			 Chemistry and Biology 388 
			 A science or mathematics 1,161 
			  Source: National Pupil Database (NPD) 
		
	
	Pupil level data relating to eligibility for free school meals were not collected in 1997.
	These figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, ie 31 August 2007) in maintained schools only and do not include the achievement of students in further education sector colleges previously eligible for free school meals.

Science: GCSE

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals attended schools which did not enter at least one pupil in at least one science subject at GCSE in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 18 January 2010
	 Of all pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 that are eligible for free school meals in maintained schools, 1,172 pupils (1.6 per cent.) were on roll at schools, in January 2009, that entered no pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in at least one science subject in 2009.
	Data for 1997 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Science: GCSE

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals were entered for a GCSE in biology in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: Of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2009, in maintained schools, eligible for free school meals, 3,525 were entered for biology GCSE.
	Comparable figures for 1997 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2005, in maintained schools, eligible for free school meals, 1,674 were entered for biology GCSE.

Support for All: The Families and Relationships

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding has been allocated to rolling-out free bookshop book packs as announced in Support for All: the Families and Relationships Green Paper to date.

Dawn Primarolo: Funding for the Booktrust programme as referred to in Support for All: the Families and Relationships Green Paper is £18 million in 2009-11. This programme continues to provide free book packs to families with young children at six to nine months, 18 months and three years, each giving age-appropriate children's books and advice to parents and carers to promote shared reading, storytelling and rhymes in the home.

Sure Start Programme

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Sure Start children's centres there are in each  (a) parliamentary constituency,  (b) region and  (c) local authority area.

Dawn Primarolo: Table 1 gives the numbers of designated Sure Start children's centres in each Government office region and table 2 the numbers of children's centres in each local authority area, at the end of February 2010.
	The numbers of children's centres in each constituency are not collected centrally.
	
		
			  Table 1: Designated Sure Start children ' s centres 
			  Region  Number 
			 East Midlands 306 
			 East of England 396 
			 London 543 
			 North East 187 
			 North West 459 
			 South East 548 
			 South West 313 
			 West Midlands 374 
			 Yorks and Humber 378 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Designated Sure Start  children ' s centres 
			  Region  Local authority  Number 
			 EE Bedford Borough 15 
			 EE Cambridgeshire 37 
			 EE Central Bedfordshire 22 
			 EE Essex 79 
			 EE Hertfordshire 76 
			 EE Luton 22 
			 EE Norfolk 53 
			 EE Peterborough, City of 15 
			 EE Southend on Sea 14 
			 EE Suffolk 48 
			 EE Thurrock 15 
			
			 EM Derby, City of 18 
			 EM Derbyshire 54 
			 EM Leicester, City of 23 
			 EM Leicestershire 41 
			 EM Lincolnshire 48 
			 EM Northamptonshire 49 
			 EM Nottingham, City of 16 
			 EM Nottinghamshire 55 
			 EM Rutland 2 
			
			 LON Barking and Dagenham 16 
			 LON Barnet 18 
			 LON Bexley 13 
			 LON Brent 14 
			 LON Bromley 18 
			 LON Camden 17 
			 LON Croydon 26 
			 LON Ealing 22 
			 LON Enfield 24 
			 LON Greenwich 24 
			 LON Hackney 19 
			 LON Hammersmith and Fulham 15 
			 LON Haringey 17 
			 LON Harrow 13 
			 LON Havering 13 
			 LON Hillingdon 12 
			 LON Hounslow 14 
			 LON Islington 16 
			 LON Kensington and Chelsea 8 
			 LON Kingston upon Thames 11 
			 LON Lambeth 28 
			 LON Lewisham 17 
			 LON London, City of 1 
			 LON Merton 11 
			 LON Newham 20 
			 LON Redbridge 14 
			 LON Richmond upon Thames 9 
			 LON Southwark 21 
			 LON Sutton 14 
			 LON Tower Hamlets 23 
			 LON Waltham Forest 17 
			 LON Wandsworth 23 
			 LON Westminster, City of 15 
			
			 NE Darlington 6 
			 NE Durham 43 
			 NE Gateshead 15 
			 NE Hartlepool 8 
			 NE Middlesbrough 13 
			 NE Newcastle upon Tyne 18 
			 NE North Tyneside 12 
			 NE Northumberland 20 
			 NE Redcar and Cleveland 12 
			 NE South Tyneside 12 
			 NE Stockton on Tees 11 
			 NE Sunderland 17 
			
			 NW Blackburn with Darwen 13 
			 NW Blackpool 13 
			 NW Bolton 18 
			 NW Bury 14 
			 NW Cheshire East 17 
			 NW Cheshire West and Chester 20 
			 NW Cumbria 22 
			 NW Halton 7 
			 NW Knowsley 15 
			 NW Lancashire 79 
			 NW Liverpool 26 
			 NW Manchester 40 
			 NW Oldham 16 
			 NW Rochdale 17 
			 NW Salford 16 
			 NW Sefton 15 
			 NW St. Helens 12 
			 NW Stockport 19 
			 NW Tameside 17 
			 NW Trafford 16 
			 NW Warrington 12 
			 NW Wigan 20 
			 NW Wirral 15 
			
			 SE Bracknell Forest 8 
			 SE Brighton and Hove 15 
			 SE Buckinghamshire 35 
			 SE East Sussex 35 
			 SE Hampshire 81 
			 SE Isle of Wight 8 
			 SE Kent 91 
			 SE Medway 19 
			 SE Milton Keynes 19 
			 SE Oxfordshire 44 
			 SE Portsmouth 16 
			 SE Reading 13 
			 SE Slough 10 
			 SE Southampton 14 
			 SE Surrey 65 
			 SE West Berkshire 10 
			 SE West Sussex 49 
			 SE Windsor and Maidenhead 7 
			 SE Wokingham 9 
			
			 SW Bath and North East Somerset 11 
			 SW Bournemouth 7 
			 SW Bristol, City of 24 
			 SW Cornwall 36 
			 SW Devon 43 
			 SW Dorset 23 
			 SW Gloucestershire 33 
			 SW Isles of Scilly 1 
			 SW North Somerset 13 
			 SW Plymouth, City of 17 
			 SW Poole 8 
			 SW Somerset 36 
			 SW South Gloucestershire 13 
			 SW Swindon 11 
			 SW Torbay 7 
			 SW Wiltshire 30 
			
			 WM Birmingham 75 
			 WM Coventry 23 
			 WM Dudley 20 
			 WM Herefordshire 12 
			 WM Sandwell 21 
			 WM Shropshire 18 
			 WM Solihull 14 
			 WM Staffordshire 54 
			 WM Stoke on Trent 16 
			 WM Telford and Wrekin 13 
			 WM Walsall 17 
			 WM Warwickshire 39 
			 WM Wolverhampton 18 
			 WM Worcestershire 34 
			
			 YH Barnsley 19 
			 YH Bradford 40 
			 YH Calderdale 16 
			 YH Doncaster 21 
			 YH East Riding of Yorkshire 19 
			 YH Kingston upon Hull, City of 20 
			 YH Kirklees 32 
			 YH Leeds 58 
			 YH North East Lincolnshire 14 
			 YH North Lincolnshire 12 
			 YH North Yorkshire 37 
			 YH Rotherham 22 
			 YH Sheffield 36 
			 YH Wakefield 23 
			 YH York, City of 9

Sure Start Programme

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding was allocated to Sure Start in each  (a) parliamentary constituency and  (b) region in each year since the programme started.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 29 March 2010
	The Department does not collect information by constituency. Sure Start allocations were made to local authorities. Each local authority is responsible for managing Sure Start activity across their area and will decide how much to spend in each constituency.
	The Sure Start funding allocated to each region since the programme started is given in Table 1 as follows.
	
		
			  Table 1. Sure Start funding allocations by Government  office regions 
			   1999- 20 00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03 
			   Revenue  Revenue  Revenue  Revenue  Capital  Total 
			 East of England 20,043,508 31,518,124 37,437,420 49,485,557 2,042,587 51,528,144 
			 East Midlands 14,297,582 24,441,880 33,402,830 37,874,539 1,704,998 39,579,537 
			 Greater London 32,229,445 66,882,810 76,713,495 79,415,189 4,970,029 84,385,218 
			 North East England 5,673,213 15,445,736 23,273,623 20,003,787 1,495,777 21,499,564 
			 North West England 24,277,665 50,611,644 65,603,851 68,245,609 3,121,816 71,367,425 
			 South East England 38,931,706 55,170,211 70,566,324 92,081,432 3,291,810 95,373,242 
			 South West England 21,533,970 35,531,255 45,029,438 56,212,800 1,915,448 58,128,248 
			 West Midlands 18,205,989 36,611,980 48,503,077 49,318,215 2,290,218 51,608,433 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 16,368,967 36,578,882 48,095,722 48,142,976 2,126,564 50,269,540 
			 Total 191,562,045 352,792,522 448,625,780 500,780,104 22,959,247 523,739,351 
		
	
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-06( 1) 
			   Revenue  Capital  Total  Revenue  Capital  Total 
			 East of England 35,919,076 2,660,821 38,579,897 105,528,958 18,258,719 123,787,677 
			 East Midlands 45,394,054 1,015,694 46,409,748 126,070,925 27,535,534 153,606,459 
			 Greater London 102,705,690 6,065,398 108,771,088 287,237,921 68,644,344 355,882,265 
			 North East England 56,562,964 1,848,490 58,411,454 143,187,025 29,948,724 173,135,749 
			 North West England 105,938,322 2,110,147 108,048,469 284,689,005 71,249,942 355,938,947 
			 South East England 51,796,246 1,843,397 53,639,643 153,230,897 22,620,266 175,851,163 
			 South West England 42,591,345 1,650,528 44,241,873 117,284,366 20,986,070 138,270,436 
			 West Midlands 64,606,486 3,605,196 68,211,682 181,065,306 47,298,847 228,364,153 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 67,643,111 3,845,273 71,488,384 189,860,030 47,815,746 237,675,776 
			 Total 573,157,294 24,644,944 597,802,238 1,588,154,433 354,358,192 1,942,512,625 
		
	
	
		
			   2006-07  2007-08 
			   Revenue  Capital  Total  Revenue  Capital  Total 
			 East of England 78,484,923 27,883,222 106,368,145 91,841,007 56,157,959 147,998,966 
			 East Midlands 82,463,531 22,398,077 104,861,608 92,299,850 47,272,341 139,572,191 
			 Greater London 196,351,280 48,514,164 244,865,444 209,218,266 97,697,420 306,915,686 
			 North East England 79,604,799 13,226,762 92,831,561 78,968,265 24,026,753 102,995,018 
			 North West England 179,079,554 36,057,692 215,137,246 188,227,296 70,608,390 258,835,686 
			 South East England 111,695,321 42,089,009 153,784,330 127,132,586 84,510,408 211,642,994 
			 South West England 77,144,126 24,042,982 101,187,108 90,156,480 48,410,334 138,566,814 
			 West Midlands 122,583,930 31,076,015 153,659,945 132,399,813 61,027,233 193,427,046 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 120,307,067 26,966,653 147,273,720 132,950,458 54,977,589 187,928,047 
			 Total 1,047,714,531 272,254,576 1,319,969,107 1,143,194,022 544,688,427 1,687,882,449 
		
	
	
		
			   2008-09  2009-10 
			   Revenue  Capital  Total  Revenue  Capital  Total 
			 East of England 110,907,991 33,757,225 144,665,216 136,587,997 89,800,385 226,388,382 
			 East Midlands 107,622,263 22,851,117 130,473,380 125,780,024 56,284,903 182,064,927 
			 Greater London 249,018,438 56,339,417 305,357,855 295,535,902 129,447,114 424,983,016 
			 North East England 88,813,114 14,113,402 102,926,516 99,713,407 26,769,768 126,483,175 
			 North West England 210,782,279 38,538,278 249,320,557 238,241,709 75,123,233 313,364,942 
			 South East England 154,203,724 50,892,500 205,096,224 190,672,412 122,711,970 313,384,382 
			 South West England 102,620,863 31,022,746 133,643,609 121,853,824 66,455,147 188,308,971 
			 West Midlands 153,281,531 28,949,795 182,231,326 175,695,599 69,132,240 244,827,839 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 149,707,512 29,243,066 178,950,578 170,498,402 61,451,826 231,950,228 
			 Total 1,326,957,713 305,707,546 1,632,665,259 1,554,579,276 697,176,586 2,251,755,862 
			 (1) Local authorities received a two year allocation in 2004-06. 
		
	
	Sure Start Local programmes (SSLPs) were the precursors of Children's Centres. SSLP revenue allocations prior to 2003-04 are not readily available at a local authority level and are not shown in table 1 above. The expenditure for SSLP revenue from 1999 to 2003 is shown in Table 2 as follows.
	
		
			  Table 2: Sure Start Local programme expenditure by local authorities from 1999 to 2003 
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03 
			 SSLP revenue expenditure 3,196,391 32,832,645 104,776,562 174,277,508 
		
	
	SSLPs were given multi year capital allocations from programme inception to the end of 2005-06. Therefore it is not possible to disaggregate allocations by financial year. The total SSLP capital allocation is shown in Table 3 as follows.
	
		
			  Table 3. SSLP Capital allocation from 1999-2006 by Government  office regions 
			 East of England 25,226,389 
			 East Midlands 41,078,839 
			 Greater London 88,741,966 
			 North East England 61,642,396 
			 North West England 85,947,406 
			 South East England 30,979,684 
			 South West England 31,684,627 
			 West Midlands 50,505,885 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 63,830,952 
			 Total 479,638,144

Teachers: Armed Forces

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many former service personnel have entered the teaching profession as a result of his Department's Transition to Teaching programme since the programme was established.

Vernon Coaker: The Transition to Teaching programme was launched in July 2008. 14 ex-service personnel have been supported in total, with 11 still involved in the programme in the following capacities:
	two are on Initial Teacher Training (ITT)
	five are actively considering applying for ITT
	four are being supported by advisers in making a decision.

Teachers: Literacy and Numeracy

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many entrants to teacher training courses re-took  (a) literacy and  (b) numeracy tests (i) once and (ii) two or more times in the last year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) Literacy Test
	In 2007-08, 3,760 entrants to teacher training courses had to re-take the literacy test once. The number of entrants who re-took the test twice or more times was 2,490.
	 (b) Numeracy Test
	In 2007-08, 3,260 entrants to teacher training courses had to re-take the numeracy test once. The number of entrant who re-took the test twice or more times was 3,480.

Teachers: North West

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers in full-time employment there were in  (a) the North-West and  (b) Manchester Central constituency in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 29 March 2010
	The following table provides the full-time number of teachers employed in local authority maintained schools, city technology colleges and academies in the north west Government office region and Manchester Central constituency in each January, 1997 to 2009.
	
		
			  Full-time regular teachers (excluding occasionals) in local authority maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special schools and pupil referral units, city technology colleges and academies, January 1997 to 2009 
			  Coverage: North West Government office region (GOR) and Manchester Central parliamentary constituency (PC) 
			  January  North West GOR( 1)  Manchester Central PC( 2) 
			 1997 55,950 (3)- 
			 1998 55,770 650 
			 1999 56,380 650 
			 2000 56,350 610 
			 2001 56,460 600 
			 2002 57,170 600 
			 2003 57,220 570 
			 2004 57,110 570 
			 2005 56,950 540 
			 2006 56,850 550 
			 2007 55,500 550 
			 2008 54,860 570 
			 2009 55,080 580 
			 (1 )Source: Local authority maintained schools (618g), city technology and academy teachers (school census). (2 )Source: school census. (3 )Not available.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Truancy

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath of 3 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1301-2W, on truancy, what the figures for  (a) prosecutions and  (b) average fines are for each (i) constituency and (ii) local authority area; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Figures for  (a) prosecutions and  (b) average fines, relating to parents not ensuring their child attended school, are not available by either (i) constituency or (ii) local authority area.

Young People: Unemployment

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parents aged between 16 and 18 years old were not in education, employment or training in each quarter of each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: Quarterly estimates of the number and proportion of young people aged 16-18 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) are produced from the labour force survey (LFS). The sample size of the quarterly LFS is too small to allow robust estimates of the proportion of 16 to 18-year-old parents who are NEET.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Colombia: Human Rights

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Colombian authorities on the recent assassination of Colombian human rights defender Jhonny Hurtado and its effects on the human rights situation in that country.

Chris Bryant: Our ambassador in Bogota has expressed his concern and dismay at the assassination of Mr. Hurtado and has requested updates on the progress of the investigation into his killing from the Director of the Presidential Human Rights Programme and the Head of the International Relations Unit at the Colombian Prosecutor's Office.

Colombia: Human Rights

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct HM Ambassador in Bogota to raise the recent assassination of Colombian human rights defender Jhonny Hurtado and its effects on the human rights situation in that country with the Colombia office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Chris Bryant: Our ambassador does not intend to raise this case with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Colombia. However, he has raised Mr. Hurtado's assassination with the Director of the Presidential Human Rights Programme and the Head of the International Relations Unit at the Colombian Prosecutor's Office.

Colombia: Human Rights

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received reports on the possible involvement of soldiers of the 7th Mobile Brigade of the Colombian Army in the recent assassination of Colombian human rights defender Jhonny Hurtado; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: I was dismayed to learn of the killing of Mr. Hurtado, who was President of the Human Rights committee of La Catalina, in the La Macarena region, and who had met members of the Justice for Colombia delegation that visited Colombia in December. I have received no reports about the involvement of members of the Colombian armed forces in the killing of Mr. Hurtado. However, our ambassador in Bogota has requested updates on the progress of the investigation into his killing from the Director of the Presidential Human Rights Programme and the Head of the International Relations Unit at the Colombian Prosecutor's Office.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department and its agencies have spent on rooms for staff leisure in each of the last five years.

Chris Bryant: No money has been spent on rooms for staff leisure on the UK estate in the last five years. Information on the overseas estate could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department provides subsidised gym facilities for its staff.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides space free of charge to house the gym in King Charles Street in the UK. The cost of the gym equipment and running costs of the facility are paid entirely by gym members' subscriptions.
	This information is not held centrally for overseas posts and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Chris Bryant: These data are not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) voltage optimisers and  (b) equivalent technologies are used within buildings occupied by his Department.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) has power factor correction equipment installed on one power supply to the King Charles street building and to selected buildings within the Hanslope Park site.
	No voltage optimisers or equivalent technologies are installed in the remaining FCO buildings in the UK.
	Information on this type of equipment within the global FCO estate is not held centrally. Details could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Furniture

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on antique furniture in each of the last five years; and what items were purchased.

Chris Bryant: This information is not held centrally and is only available at disproportionate cost. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office uses its existing stocks of furniture, including modern, reproduction and antique, to furnish its estate wherever possible.

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many complaints his Department received regarding difficulties using its website in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) web presence comprises over 250 websites, in 40 languages with 35 million visitors a year (2008-09 statistics). Over the last three years the FCO presence has evolved from a main website and web platform hosting a number of embassy websites (2003-08) to a completely new web platform hosting all of the FCO's websites plus FCO blogs and campaign sites.
	Due to these significant changes we do not have full and comparable data for the last three years.
	The FCO's website templates are compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, and during the development of the website the FCO conducted user testing to improve accessibility. The FCO's accessibility statement for its website is available at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/accessibility
	A website user experience manager oversees accessibility issues.
	Users can give feedback on the website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/feedback

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on external website design consultants in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Design costs for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) main website were wrapped up with other technical and functionality costs and so it is not possible to calculate the exact cost of external website design consultants without incurring disproportionate cost. The FCO also contributes towards websites for specific campaigns and projects aimed at delivering consular and foreign policy objectives. The costs of external websites design consultants for all websites hosted or supported by the FCO are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department and its agencies spent on promotional items carrying the Department's branding and logo in the last five years; and what such items were.

Chris Bryant: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has incurred expenditure on  (a) foreign exchange derivatives and  (b) consulting on currency hedging strategies in each of the last three years.

Chris Bryant: Prior to May 2008 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office purchased our foreign currency requirements at the spot rate at the time we needed the currency. From May 2008 we began a foreign currency forward purchase programme. The forward purchase contracts are placed via the Bank of England. HiFX Intelligent Financial Services provide ongoing specialist consultancy support at a cost of £3,000 per month + VAT.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 28 October 2009,  Official Report, column 381W, on departmental telephone services, whether his Department has awarded contracts for the provision of services relating to its travel advice telephone information line.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office awarded MM Group the contract to run its Travel Advice Help Line from 13 February 2003. MM Group were acquired by Teleperformance in 2004. The contract is managed by the Central Office of Information.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from which companies his Department sourced temporary staff in each of the last three years; how many temporary staff his Department employed in each year; and what the monetary value of the contracts with each such company was in each such year.

Chris Bryant: The following tables show the number of temporary staff the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) recruited in the UK in financial years 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 on short-term civil service contracts. They do not include staff recruited locally to work at posts overseas. We could not obtain figures for these without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Temporary employees recruited into FCO 
			 2006-07 55 
			 2007-08 51 
			 2008-09 51 
		
	
	In September 2006 the FCO devolved the responsibility for hiring temporary staff from agencies to directorates. FCO directorates have been able to choose from a selection of employment agencies under the national framework for temporary staff. Most of these are for the supply of Administrative Officer (FCO Grade A2) staff in London. The agencies that have been used are : Eclipse, Manpower, Select Appointments , Adecco, Hays and Kelly Services.
	In July 2009, the FCO's Corporate Procurement Group negotiated a single contract on behalf of the whole organisation with Hays Specialist Recruitment for the provision of temporary agency staff. The aim is to give more effective controls, secure better management information, simplify requisition processes and deliver better value to the taxpayer. The contract became effective on 1 March 2010 when it was introduced to three key FCO Directorates, with others rolling out a phased approach over the next three months.
	Amounts paid (including VAT) to the main UK agencies used by the FCO since 2006 are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Supplier  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Eclipse 401,840 305,9512 179,154 
			 Manpower 491,762 279,457 217,897 
			 Select Appointments 54,710 43,232 0 
			 Adecco 175,685 35,856 6,762 
			 Hays 300,401 547,830 670,328 
			 Kelly Services 53,865 11,858 0 
		
	
	FCO Services (FCOS) is an executive agency of the FCO and has been operating independently as a trading fund since 1 April 2008. It is not possible to provide details on the number or cost of temporary staff FCOS employed during the period requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

Georgia: Politics and Government

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Georgian government over the screening on Georgian television on 15 March 2010 of a film purporting to represent a Russian invasion of Georgia; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Our ambassador in Tbilisi met Georgian Foreign Minister Vashadze on 17 March to discuss Imedi Television's 13 March news broadcast, which simulated a Russian attack on Georgia. The ambassador also made our position clear in a public letter to Imedi, in which he described the broadcast as irresponsible, and protested against the unauthorised and misleading use of images of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and himself.
	The Georgian Government have acknowledged our concerns over the use of this footage, and the risks the programme posed to stability in Georgia. Imedi has written to our ambassador and publicly apologised.

Georgia: Politics and Government

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the President of Georgia on  (a) media freedom,  (b) human rights,  (c) democracy and  (d) the rule of law in Georgia in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I raised the importance of continued Georgian efforts to reform in these areas when I met President Saakashvili on 18 February. We continue to remind the Georgian Government, including at ministerial level, that commitment to reform, particularly judicial and electoral reform, and strengthening democracy, media freedom and human rights are key to maintaining international support. My hon. Friend, the Minister for Europe raised these issues with the Georgian Foreign Minister in October 2009, and the Prime Minister in November 2009.

Georgia: Politics and Government

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of  (a) media freedom,  (b) human rights,  (c) democracy and  (d) the rule of law in Georgia; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Georgia is making some progress towards necessary reforms in these areas. Public trust in the media is low and there are concerns about a lack of transparency surrounding ownership of the media. Georgia has taken steps to improve human rights and detention conditions, but can still do more to investigate the alleged harassment of opposition activists and take action against security forces responsible for such harassment. Georgia has improved its electoral code, with support from the Venice Commission but May's local elections will be an important test for the new arrangements. We, with our partners, will continue to monitor the human rights situation closely, raise areas of concern, and support Georgia's efforts to meet international human rights standards.

Georgia: Politics and Government

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the President of Georgia on the conduct of forthcoming elections in that country; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I raised Georgia's elections when I met President Saakahsvili in February. I reminded him of the importance we attach to free and fair elections, and to Georgia's continued democratic and judicial reforms.
	We regularly discuss and encourage these reforms with Georgian Government Ministers. We have made clear that free and fair elections are important in demonstrating Georgia's progress in taking forward political reform, underpinning Georgia's strategy of engagement with the separatist regions, and moving towards greater integration with the EU.

Georgia: Politics and Government

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what resources  (a) the Government,  (b) the EU,  (c) the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and  (d) other international institutions have provided for monitoring the forthcoming elections in Georgia; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Georgia has invited Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) observers to monitor the May elections, which will be a key test of Georgia's democratic credentials. We welcome this invitation: the presence of OSCE monitors will help increase transparency. The UK, our EU partners and other OSCE participating states are considering how best to support the OSCE's call for up to 30 long-term and 350 short-term observers. In addition, our embassy plans to observe the elections in close coordination with other missions and local civil society organisations.

Government Communications Headquarters

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the critical facilities managed by Group 4 Securicor (G4S) are at GCHQ that are referred to on page two of the unprinted paper reported to the House by the Defence Select Committee on 10 February 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 29 March 2010
	The services provided by Group 4 Securicor (G4S) help ensure that GCHQ's office facilities are: secure, fit for purpose and maintained to appropriate standards of cleanliness. G4S also provide catering and other logistical support (e.g. mail and recycling services).

Intelligence and Security Committee

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the contribution of the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, 18 March 2010,  Official Report, column 997, on Intelligence and Security Committee, if he will take steps to ensure that when the current committee members stand down, there will be no attempt to interfere with the Committee's secretariat in the intervening period before a new committee is appointed; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I have been asked to reply.
	The committee's staff are civil servants. Like other civil servants they remain in post during an election campaign, bound by the usual rules of political impartiality.

Marine Resources and Fisheries Consultants: Contracts

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Government contracts have been awarded to Marine Resources and Fisheries Consultants Ltd. since January 2008; and what the monetary value of such contracts is.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has never awarded a contract to a company called Marine Resources and Fisheries Consultants Ltd.
	The FCO has however awarded one contract to the Marine Resource Assessment Group (MRAG) Ltd. since January 2008. The contract is for the provision of technical and scientific fisheries advice in relation to the UK's Overseas Territories and was awarded after the conclusion of a competitive tender exercise, in line with public procurement guidelines. The contract is a call-off contract and the value of the contract is therefore subject to variation depending on the amount and type of work undertaken. During the 2008-09 financial year the amount spent on this contract was £200,296.85 excluding VAT.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of  (a) rockets and  (b) mortar bombs launched into Israeli territory from (i) Lebanon and (ii) Gaza since 1 January 2010; what reports he has received of the number of persons (A) killed, (B) seriously injured and (C) slightly injured; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: According to our information, in 2010, as of 10 March, there have been 41 rockets and 28 mortars fired at Israel from Gaza. There has been one fatality (a foreign worker) in 2010 in Southern Israel as a result of a rocket attack, and no injuries. Additionally two Israeli soldiers were killed on 26 March following a clash with Palestinian militants.
	There have been no cross-border rockets or mortars fired into Israel from Lebanon this year.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the teaching of Arabic in Israel.

Chris Bryant: The UK regularly raises concerns regarding coexistence between the Jewish and Arab communities in Israel. I discussed these in my meeting with the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister on 9 February. We also highlighted the issue in the 2009 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Report on Human Rights, which was published on 17 March.
	Additionally the UK has provided over £100,000 of financial support to educational projects which promote coexistence, including the teaching of Arabic, between Jewish and Arab children in Israel.

Morocco: Fishery Agreements

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to call for the suspension of the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement.

Chris Bryant: The Government have no plans at present to seek the suspension of the EU Fisheries Agreement with Morocco.

Morocco: Political Prisoners

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request HM Ambassador in Morocco to seek information on the detention by the Moroccan authorities of  (a) Ali Salem Tamek,  (b) Brahim Dahane,  (c) Ahmed Nasiri,  (d) Yahdih Tarouzi and  (e) Rashid Sghir.

Chris Bryant: We are aware of the arrest of these five people, and two others, at Casablanca airport on 8 October 2009. The Moroccan authorities have publicly stated that the individuals are being held in relation to charges of treason and conspiracy against the state with enemy forces. Six remain on remand in Morocco. One has been released pending trial.
	We and our EU colleagues continue to monitor the case. We have discussed this with the Moroccan authorities on several occasions and underlined the importance of a free and fair trial. We are also in contact with local non-governmental organisations who are following the case. Some of these been granted access to visit the individuals in prison and have stated their intention to observe the trial.

Sudan: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with  (a) the Westminster Foundation,  (b) the Interparliamentary Union and  (c) other international bodies the funding of opposition parties in Sudan prior to the forthcoming election and referendum in that country.

Chris Bryant: Under The Sudanese National Elections Act 2008, political parties cannot finance their campaign activities through any financial and material support, donations or other means of support from foreign countries or any foreign body. It is for the National Elections Commission to disperse Government of National Unity funds to opposition parties. The UK does however provide funding to the UN Development Programme Strategic Partnership Fund which has supported political parties' training and capacity development.

Tibet

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he raised the issue of Tibet during his recent visit to China.  [Official Report, 25 May 2010, Vol. 510, c. 1MC.]

Chris Bryant: During my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's visit to China he raised the issue of Tibet with Premier Wen and Foreign Minister Yang. He expressed our continued concern at the situation in Tibet, including the heavy security presence, and restrictions on freedom of expression and religion. He welcomed the resumption of the talks between the Chinese authorities and representatives of the Dalai Lama but emphasised that the talks must be substantive to be successful.
	Following this visit, the UK and China held a human rights dialogue on 18 March 2010. At this we pressed for access to the Tibetan Autonomous Region for diplomats and journalists and expressed concern over the numbers in detention following the March 2008 unrest, and related death sentences. We also expressed concern over cultural rights and religious freedom in Tibet. In advance of the dialogue we handed over a list of individual cases of concern, which included 17 Tibetan cases. We have yet to receive a response on any of the cases.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has just published its annual report on human rights. China was once again listed as a country of concern. A copy can be found on the FCO website. In it I have made clear that promotion of human rights is a fundamental part of our relationship with China. Significant progress has been made in economic and social rights, with 500 million raised out of poverty in just 30 years. But progress in civil and political rights has been much slower. It is in our interests to help China move towards greater respect for human rights, transparency and accountability.

Western Sahara: Fisheries

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there have been discussions at joint committee meetings between the European Commission and Morocco on the effect on the Saharawi and other peoples of the Western Sahara of the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement.

Chris Bryant: We are not aware at such discussions having taken place.
	Fisheries agreements with third countries such as the agreement with Morocco fall within the exclusive competence of the European Union and it is therefore the European Commission which negotiates the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with Morocco on the member states' behalf.

World War II: Anniversaries

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he received on the attendance of UK nationals at the commemoration of Latvian Waffen SS veterans in Riga on 16 March 2010.

Chris Bryant: We have received no reports of UK nationals attending the commemoration this year, but the event did go ahead and was attended by veterans of the Latvian Legion and their supporters.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development has not spent any money on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on promotional items carrying the Department's branding and logo in the last five years; and what those items were.

Michael Foster: The requested information is not held centrally and would incur disproportionate costs to disaggregate from overall programme costs.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has incurred expenditure on  (a) foreign exchange derivatives and  (b) consulting on currency hedging strategies in each of the last three years.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not incurred any expenditure on  (a) foreign exchange derivatives or  (b) consulting on currency hedging strategies in the last three years.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his Department's consultation on the Renewable Heat Incentive, if he will make an estimate of the effect on  (a) morbidity and  (b) mortality of the implementation of the 2020 biomass targets under the renewable energy strategy.

David Kidney: The Renewable Energy Strategy promotes the uptake of biomass as one of a range of renewable fuel sources for the production of heat and electricity. It does not include specific targets for biomass within the overall target for renewable energy in 2020.
	The impact assessment accompanying the consultation on the Renewable Heat Incentive sets out the likely impact on health costs of changes in air quality, based on a range of scenarios for scale of biomass uptake, type of locations and quality of emission performance. The consultation proposes the introduction of emission standards which will reduce the impact on air quality. Work continues to quantify the scale of uptake and the impact of the resulting change in air quality on public health and the achievement of air quality objectives.

Biofuels: Carbon Emissions

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his consultation on the Renewable Heat Incentive, if he will  (a) estimate the cumulative emissions of black carbon from biomass boilers by 2020 and  (b) assess the likely effects on global warming of the black carbon emitted from those boilers by 2020.

David Kidney: We recognise that, compared with most climate gases, black carbon is a powerful warming agent (a 100-year global warming potential approximately 650 times that of carbon dioxide ) but it has a very short average lifetime (residence time) in the atmosphere (up to a week or two). It is removed by rain and snowfall, and through direct deposition on land surfaces and the surface of the ocean. We are working collaboratively within the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's convention on long-range transboundary air pollution to examine the significance of black carbon.
	Estimates are not currently available on black carbon emissions from biomass boilers in the UK. However, we expect that the proposed emission standards to be introduced under the RHI will have a significant impact in reducing concentrations of black carbon compared to the current situation.

Carbon Emissions

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has discussed with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs the likely consequences of publishing estimates of the effect on the UK of a reduction in the UK's carbon dioxide emissions by 42 per cent. by 2020.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 29 March 2010
	My right hon. Friend has regular meetings with my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary at which various topics are discussed.

Carbon Emissions

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how often his Department plans to assess the effectiveness of eligible carbon emissions reduction target measures in reducing emissions; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The supplier obligation (now termed the carbon emissions reduction target) has been set over three year cycles to allow Government to evolve the scheme so that it only pulls through products with the most potential to provide for household sector carbon emissions reductions. An independent assessment is commissioned at the end of each three year phase, building on the cost-benefit assessment undertaken and published at the launch of each scheme. Independent analysis of the three year supplier obligation scheme ending March 2008 showed it to have been extremely effective in delivery-that for every £1 added onto GB household bills to pay for the obligation, benefits equate to an average saving of £9 per household bill over the lifetime of the measures. The carbon emissions reduction target which ends in March 2011, is also believed to be highly cost-effective. We know for instance, that insulation measures make up over 60 per cent. of savings to target-equivalent to some four million households receiving insulation measures.

Carbon Sequestration

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made in the competition to build a commercial scale carbon capture and storage power plant; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: On 12 March we announced that funding has been awarded to E.on and Scottish Power to support Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) studies as part of the competition to build a commercial scale carbon capture and storage demonstration plant. The studies will be completed within 12 months, after which the winner will be selected.

Climate Change: Costs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the net cost to the Exchequer of the Government's Climate Change Agreements in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I have been asked to reply.
	Estimates of the cost to the Exchequer of the Government's Climate Change Agreements were published in Table 7, of the 2009 pre-Budget report, 'Tax Ready Reckoner', as follows:
	
		
			  CCA net cost estimates 
			  Fiscal year  £ million 
			 2006-07 350 
			 2007-08 350 
			 2008-09 280 
		
	
	Estimates of costs associated with Climate Change Agreement were not published prior to 2006-07.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what conditions are attached to the fund committed by the UK to help flight climate change by tackling deforestation between 2010 and 2012 and announced at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit; how the fund will be administered; and whether the fund will be subject to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change guidelines.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 29 March 2010
	At Copenhagen my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the UK would provide £300 million in 2010-12 to help tackle deforestation, as a contribution to the $3.5 billion committed by donors and representing 20 per cent. of the UK's £1.5 billion 'fast start' finance. This funding will go to developing countries where there are the best opportunities for tackling emissions from deforestation in ways which also reduce poverty and promote sustainable development. The support will be delivered through multilateral funds (e.g. Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, Forest Investment Programme, Congo Basin Forest Initiative) and bilateral programmes. The UNFCCC guidelines are still under consideration. The UK will seek to apply best practice and take account of progress in the climate negotiations.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many smoking shelters have been built for his Department's staff in the last five years; and at what cost.

Joan Ruddock: No smoking shelters have been built for DECC staff since this Department's inception in October 2008.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on rooms for staff leisure in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: Since its inception in October 2008, this Department has not spent anything on rooms for staff leisure.

Departmental Information Officers

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 61W, on departmental information officers, what the  (a) job title,  (b) division and  (c) responsibilities are of each of the embedded communicators.

Joan Ruddock: The job titles, divisions and responsibilities for each of the 11 embedded communicators in the Department are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Division  Job title  Responsibilities 
			 Climate, Energy, Science and Analysis Senior Scientific Officer Advising on climate science communications as required, including briefings, cross-governmental coordination, and relationships with external organisations on communicating science. 
			
			 Energy Markets and Infrastructure Higher Executive Officer Ensuring the consultation on draft National Policy Statements for Energy Infrastructure was thorough and effective; running public events and stakeholder workshops relating to the consultation; assisting members of the public with any queries and managing the consultation website. 
			
			 Energy Markets and Infrastructure Higher Executive Officer Cross-cutting ministerial briefing and speeches. 
			
			 International Climate Change Higher Executive Officer Coordinating cross-Government international climate change communications, including managing the Act On Copenhagen website and the international climate change area of the DECC website. 
			
			 International Climate Change Higher Executive Officer Leading on the Division's engagement with youth, science and health stakeholder groups. 
			
			 International Climate Change Grade 7 Co-ordinating UK stakeholder engagement on international climate change, including with business and trade unions. 
			
			 International Climate Change Grade 6 Leading the Division's stakeholder engagement team, including use of cross-Government digital diplomacy. 
			
			 International Climate Change Higher Executive Officer Engaging with NGOs, faith, culture and community groups on international climate change. 
			
			 Office for Nuclear Development Grade 6 Provision of communications advice to the Nuclear Unit, ministerial briefing and speech writing, answering correspondence, liaising with Press Office and engaging with stakeholders. 
			
			 Office for Nuclear Development Grade 7 Provision of communications advice to the Nuclear Unit, ministerial briefing and speech writing, answering correspondence, liaising with Press Office and engaging with stakeholders. 
			 Office of Renewable Energy Deployment Higher Executive Officer Conducting stakeholder engagement and communications around the Severn tidal power feasibility study.

Departmental Legal Costs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent in  (a) legal fees and  (b) compensation on legal cases concerning remuneration of its employees since it was established.

Joan Ruddock: The Department has spent nothing on such legal fees or compensation.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of staff of his Department and its predecessors managed out in the last five years who remain working in the public sector.

Joan Ruddock: The term 'managed out' is not used within the civil service, so we have considered this question as applying to redundancies.
	DECC does not record whether staff who have been made redundant have remained working in the public sector.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the five most expensive hospitality events hosted by his Department were since its inception; and what the  (a) cost and  (b) purpose of each such event was.

Joan Ruddock: The Department has not hosted any hospitality events.

Departmental Written Questions

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what methodology his Department used to determine whether answers to questions in the formulation if he will set out with statistical information related as directly as possible to the tabling hon. Member's constituency the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies since 1997 could be provided without incurring disproportionate cost; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has implemented policies to address greenhouse gas emissions, fuel poverty, the low carbon economy and energy security. The Department does not have readily-available data at the constituency level for the impact of these policies with the exception of Warm Front, for which data have been provided. This practical limitation means that preparing an estimate at the constituency level or a similar level of regional disaggregation would incur disproportionate costs above the £800 limit for answering a parliamentary question.
	 Warm Front scheme
	The Warm Front Scheme is designed to tackle fuel poverty. The scheme provides grants for households on qualifying income and disability related benefits to install a range of insulation and heating measures in their homes. Information is available from eaga, the scheme manager, on a constituency level. During the period 1 June 2000 to 31 January 2010 the Scheme has assisted 2,557 households in the Eddisbury constituency.
	 Regional greenhouse gas emissions
	Climate change mitigation needs to be tackled at both national and local levels. Estimates of carbon dioxide emissions at local authority level are produced annually by AEA on behalf of DECC and are published as national statistics at the following link:
	http://decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/climate_change_gg_emissions/uk_emissions/2007_local/2007_local.aspx
	There are practical considerations which mean that emissions data are not calculated at a constituency-level.
	 Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT)
	The CERT is set at a Great Britain-wide level. Given the terms of the legislation, Government have no existing powers to require energy suppliers to report where they have installed measures. However, DECC is working with energy suppliers and the Energy Saving Trust with the aim of being able to report on the number of CERT measures professionally installed at a constituency level in future.
	 Other policies
	A number of DECC's policies operate at the national rather than local level, which means that data at a constituency level is not gathered. For example, national policy statements on energy infrastructure will lead to faster and fairer planning across the country and a diverse low carbon energy mix.
	In addition, some policies are not yet fully operational or are too new for their effect to be measured. The Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP) began on 1 September 2009 and there are currently six live CESP schemes, one in Walsall, one in Bristol and four in Birmingham. We expect around 100 schemes nationally over the next three years. Ofgem is due to provide its first statutory CESP progress report to the Secretary of State on 1 May 2010. The feed-in tariff and renewable heat incentive 'clean energy cashback' schemes will begin on April 2010 and April 2011 respectively.

Energy

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 5.4, page 44 of his Department's report on Energy Market Assessment of 24 March 2010, what criteria will be used to identify interested parties with which to enter into a dialogue in the next stage of consultation.

David Kidney: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has ongoing dialogue with a wide range of groups ranging from energy investors, the regulatory community, economic and strategy consultancies, green NGOs, consumer groups, the Committee on Climate Change and others.
	The Department will discuss the energy market assessment with organisations from across this spectrum.

Energy Supply

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what response he plans to make to the Project Discovery report published by Ofgem on 3 February 2010.

David Kidney: On 12 March we announced that funding has been awarded to E.on and Scottish Power to support Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) studies as part of the competition to build a commercial scale carbon capture and storage demonstration plant. The studies will be completed within 12 months, after which the winner will be selected.

Energy: Billing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what mechanisms will be used to ensure that energy suppliers do not charge their customers more than the cost of what they pay towards meeting their Carbon Emissions Reduction Target obligations onto the consumer; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The Government's 'Warm Homes, Greener Homes' strategy published in early March set out the importance of greater transparency of energy bills, including around cost information. We continue to develop the detail of this post 2013 energy company obligation, and will pursue new powers as necessary.

Energy: Buildings

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many  (a) local authority and  (b) housing association homes in City of York constituency have had energy efficiency improvements in each of the last five years; and what the average cost per dwelling to the public purse of those improvements was.

Joan Ruddock: The Government have set the Decent Homes Standard, whereby social landlords are challenged to make homes warm and weather proof, with modern facilities. The following table shows the number of local authority homes in the City of York that have had energy efficiency improvements in the last five years and the total cost of these improvements.
	
		
			  Number of LA dwellings that had central heating, windows and insulation installed, and associated expenditure, City of York, 2005-09 
			   Central Heating  Windows  Insulation 
			   Dwellings  Expenditure (£000)  Dwellings  Expenditure (£000)  Dwellings  Expenditure (£000) 
			 2005 488 995 685 769 24 3 
			 2006 671 1,545 220 550 9 1 
			 2007 685 2,797 45 71 - - 
			 2008 918 2,654 - - 178 26 
			 2009 573 1,496 166 267 117 21 
			  Source: Annual returns to Communities and Local Government. 
		
	
	It is not possible to derive average costs per dwelling since not all dwellings will have had all three elements of works carried out. The Government do not collect data about housing association expenditure.

Energy: Conservation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost per kilogram of carbon dioxide saved for the different types of commercially available domestic energy efficient technologies, including circulator pumps; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: This question was considered in the recent CERT extension impact assessment, which can be accessed via the link provided(1). The cost per kilogram of carbon dioxide saved can be determined for a range of technologies from the information provided in tables 1 and 2. The cost per kilogram can be determined by dividing the total cost for the measure, shown in table 2, by the relevant life time carbon dioxide savings shown in table 1 (multiply the figures shown in table 1 by 1,000 to obtain kilograms of carbon dioxide). The Department does not hold this information for circulator pumps.
	(1) This information was extracted from pages 55 and 56 of die Impact Assessment for the CERT consultation and can be accessed via the following link:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/cert_ext/cert_ext.aspx
	
		
			  Table 1: Lifetime CO 2  saving score per measure, in the priority and non-priority groups 
			 Lifetime C O 2  savings per measure tC O 2  (lifetime) 
			   Carbon saving measure  Lifetime (years)  PG  Non-PG 
			 Insulation Cavity wall insulation 40 23.74 26.34 
			  Loft insulation professional (from  60mm) 40 14.70 18.10 
			  Loft insulation professional (from  60mm) 40 4.34 5.34 
			  Loft insulation (DIY) 40 9.40 11.58 
			  SWI external 30 62.02 68.83 
			  SWI internal 30 58.64 65.08 
			  Insulated wallpaper 30 20.17 22.38 
			  Tank insulation-top-up 10 1.98 1.98 
			  Glazing E to C rated 20 1.52 1.72 
			  Draughtproofing 20 2.32 2.86 
			  
			 Heating A/B rated boilers (exceptions) 12 3.95 4.47 
			  Fuel switching 20 74.97 84.94 
			  Heating controls-upgrade with boiler 12 0.38 0.44 
			  Heating controls-extra 12 3.09 3.57 
			  Wood pellet stoves (secondary) 20 11.10 12.58 
			  Log burning stoves 20 3.99 4.52 
			  Wood pellet boilers (primary) 20 95.84 108.60 
			  Solar water heater (4m(2)) 25 8.14 8.14 
			  Ground source heat pumps 40 95.97 108.75 
			  Air source heat pumps 15 42.57 48.23 
			  Wood chip CHP 30 96.48 107.07 
			  Community GSHP 40 20.42 22.66 
			  Community heating to wood chip 30 106.41 118.08 
			  Replacement of G rated boilers 6 5.44 6.17 
			  
			 Lighting CFLs-retail 8 0.05 0.05 
			  Efficient halogens 6.51 0.02 0.02 
			  LEDs 18 0.14 0.14 
			  
			 Appliances A rated cold appliances (1)-   
			  A rated wet appliances (1)-   
			  iDTVs (1)-   
			  PC mains panels 5 0.15 0.16 
			  Energy saving kettles 5 0.04 0.04 
			  LNBs 7 0.04 0.04 
			  A++ cold appliances 12 0.58 0.58 
			  A++ wet appliances 12 0.11 0.11 
			  
			 Microgen Photovoltaic panels (2.5 kWp) 25 22.78 22.78 
			  micro Wind (1 kWp, 10 per cent. LF) 10 3.78 3.78 
			  micro Hydro (0.7 kWp, 50 per cent. LF) 20 26.44 26.44 
			  Mini-wind 5 kW, 20 per cent. LF 22.5 84.98 84.98 
			  mCHP (80 per cent. heat, 15 per cent. elec) 15 2.91 3.30 
			  
			 Other RTDs 15 0.996 0.996 
			  Advice only 7.5 0.6675 0.6675 
			 (1) No longer eligible 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 : Assumed costs of measures 
			  £ 
			Basic installation cost  Administration cost  Total cost 
			   Carbon saving measure  All  PG  non-PG  PG  non-PG  PG  non-PG 
			 Insulation Cavity wall insulation 380 356 395 87 71 443 466 
			  Loft insulation professional (from  60mm) 286 268 297 70 57 338 355 
			  Loft insulation professional (from  60mm) 286 268 297 70 57 338 355 
			  Loft insulation (DIY) 120 107 128 32 28 138 157 
			  SWI external 8,500 7,969 8,830 293 225 8,262 9,054 
			  SWI internal 5,100 4,781 5,298 273 210 5,054 5,508 
			  Insulated wallpaper 3,700 3,469 3,843 256 198 3,725 4,042 
			  Tank insulation-top-up 14 14 14 4 3 18 17 
			  Glazing E to C rated 212 199 220 55 45 253 265 
			  Draughtproofing 101 94 105 28 24 123 128 
			  
			 Heating A/B rated boilers (exceptions) 212 209 214 57 44 266 258 
			  Fuel switching 2,014 1,888 2,092 216 169 2,104 2,261 
			  Heating controls-upgrade with boiler 90 84 94 26 21 110 115 
			  Heating controls-extra 148 139 154 40 33 179 188 
			  Wood pellet stoves (secondary) 1,417 1,399 1,428 192 147 1,592 1,575 
			  Log burning stoves 1,000 988 1,008 164 125 1,151 1,133 
			  Wood pellet boilers (primary) 7,200 7,110 7,256 289 220 7,399 7,476 
			  Solar water heater (4m(2)) 3,500 3,500 3,500 257 194 3,757 3,694 
			  Ground source heat pumps 11,360 10,295 12,021 301 231 10,596 12,252 
			  Air source heat pumps 5,844 5,771 5,889 281 214 6,052 6,103 
			  Wood chip CHP 9,281 9,165 9,353 298 226 9,463 9,579 
			  Community GSHP 4,250 4,197 4,283 267 203 4,463 4,486 
			  Community heating to wood chip 350 346 353 85 65 430 418 
			  Replacement of G rated boilers 2,500 2,500 2,500 236 179 2,736 2,679 
			  
			 Lighting CFLs-retail 1.10 1.10 1.10 0.36 0.27 1.46 1.37 
			  Efficient halogens 2.50 2.50 2.50 0.82 0.62 3.32 3.12 
			  LEDs 8.00 7.00 8.62 2.29 2.14 9.29 10.76 
			  
			 Appliances A rated cold appliances (1)-   
			  A rated wet appliances (1)-   
			  iDTVs (1)-   
			  PC mains panels 25 25 25 8 6 33 31 
			  Energy saving kettles 17 17 17 6 4 23 21 
			  LNBs 10 10 10 3 2 13 12 
			  A++ cold appliances 100 100 100 30 23 130 123 
			  A++ wet appliances 100 100 100 30 23 130 123 
			  
			 Microgen Photovoltaic panels (2.5 kWp) 6,338 6,338 6,338 285 216 6,623 6,553 
			  Micro wind (1 kWp, 10 per cent. LF) 3,200 3,200 3,200 251 190 3,451 3,390 
			  Micro hydro (0.7 kWp, 50 per cent. LF) 1,890 1,890 1,890 216 163 2,106 2,053 
			  Mini-wind 5 kW, 20 per cent. LF 21,000 21,000 21,000 315 239 21,315 21,239 
			  mCHP (80 per cent. heat, 15 per cent. elec) 600 563 623 119 96 681 719 
			  
			 Other RTDs 20 20 20 6 5 26 25 
			  Advice only 35 35 35 11 8 46 43 
			 (1) No longer eligible

Energy: Conservation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average payback period is for the different types of commercially available domestic energy efficient technologies, including circulator pumps; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: Information on payback periods for some technologies under the CERT regime is shown in the following table. Savings figures are approximate and are based on a typical three-bed semi-detached home. Installed costs are not the full economic cost of the work but incorporate a level of subsidy provided by suppliers under the CERT programme.
	
		
			  Measure  Annual saving (£/yr)  Installed cost  Installed payback  Emissions savings (kgCO2/yr) 
			 Loft Insulation (0-270mm) Around £150 Around £250 ~ 2 yrs 750 
			 Loft Insulation (50-270mm) Around £45 Around £250 ~ 6 yrs 200 
			 Cavity Wall Insulation Around £115 Around £250 ~ 2 yrs 630 
			 Internal wall insulation Around £380 £5,500 - £8,500 ~ 20 yrs 2100 
			 External wall insulation Around £400 £10,500 - £14,500 ~ 25 yrs 2200 
			 Draught proofing Around £25 Around £200 ~ 8 yrs 130 
			 Floor insulation Around £60 Around £500 ~ 8 yrs 320 
			 Hot water tank jacket Around £35 Around £50 ~ 1 yrs 200 
			 Gas Boiler (replacing G rated with A rated) Around £190 Around £2500 ~ 13 yrs 1000 
		
	
	Information available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/cert_ext/cert_ext.aspx
	The actual payback period is a function of the cost of the technology, the cost of installation, the actual number of running hours per year and the cost of the fuel saved per year. As these variables are influenced by commercial considerations, which are different for each technology, and as each installation is bespoke, the actual payback period will vary considerably.
	Circulator pumps are consumers of energy, though some operate more efficiently than others, particularly those that can modulate their output to match the load. We do not have the information on the payback periods for circulator pumps.

Energy: Prices

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the cost per unit to the customer of domestic gas and electricity in each year from 2010 to 2020.

David Kidney: The Department does not make forecasts of gas and electricity retail prices since the Government do not take a view of what prices will be set in competitive markets.
	However, the Department uses a range of assumptions of the future wholesale prices of fossil fuels in the DECC energy model representing different scenarios for future wholesale prices. The most recent published results of the DECC model projections including retail prices were published with the Low Carbon Transition Plan:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/media/viewfile.ashx?filepath=statistics/proJections/1_20090715101435_e_@@_tablee.xlsfiletype=4
	A copy of the Low Carbon Transition Plan projections will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Environment Protection: Job Creation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many green jobs have been created in each constituency since June 2007.

Joan Ruddock: The Government do not collate such data at a constituency level.
	Government-commissioned research indicates that, in 2008-09, employment in the UK Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services (LCEGS) sector was approximately 910,000. This research includes regional level data and is available online at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/Policies/business-sectors/low-carbon-business-opportunities/market-intelligence

Natural Gas: Storage

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy to prohibit exports of gas in circumstances in which gas is also being removed from storage in the UK.

David Kidney: No. One of the strengths of the British gas market-demonstrated in the coldest winter for some 30 years-is the resilience provided by its diverse and over-sized gas supply infrastructure. Arbitrarily constraining the use of one kind of supply infrastructure could have harmful unintended consequences-for example, in forcing the gas market to use more expensive supplies from time to time, and, in the longer term, in damaging the commercial incentives to construct gas supply infrastructure. Ultimately this could mean higher prices, and less reliable supplies, for consumers.

Power Stations: Carbon Emissions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the level of carbon emissions from power stations in the latest period for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: The provisional 2009 GHG national statistics released on 25 March 2010 show that emissions of CO2 from power stations were 150.5MtCO2.
	For those power station emissions covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) operators must submit verified emissions data to the regulators for 2009 by 31 March 2010. In 2008 the UK power sector in the EU ETS emitted 172.4MtCO2. The 2009 data submitted by operators will be available on the European Commission website from early April 2010 and a summary report of checked UK data will be published later in the year.

Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of energy generated from renewable sources.

David Kidney: The latest estimate was published in the 2009 edition of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics, and relates to the calendar year 2008. Based on the agreed methodology used to monitor the EU Renewable Energy Directive, 2.3 per cent. of energy was derived from renewable sources during 2008. The 2009 estimate will be published in the 2010 edition of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics.
	Additionally, provisional 2009 data on electricity generation were published in the March 2010 edition of Energy Trends. This showed that when excluding an estimate for non-bio degradable waste use, around 6.6 per cent. of electricity was generated from renewable sources in 2009.

Sellafield

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made in the replacement of the highly active storage tanks at Sellafield.

David Kidney: The Replacement Highly Active Storage Tank project has completed a detailed optioneering process to a point where a single solution has been selected. As part of this stage a preliminary safety case, which has been subject to regulatory assessment, has been prepared and an outline design has been completed and approved. Replacement tanks are forecast to commence active commissioning in 2018.

Wind Power

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has undertaken research into the comparative effectiveness of wind turbines and fossil fuel generation in producing electricity; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: The usual approach of assessing the effectiveness of different electricity generation technologies is to use the levelised cost of generating one megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity.
	The analysis underpinning Renewable Energy Strategy, published in July 2009, used assumptions on the generating costs and wider impacts of wind generation. Full details of which are set out in Element (2009) and Redpoint/Trilemma (2009), which are available on the DECC website.
	
		
			  Table 1: Levelised cost estimates for wind generation plant 
			  Technology  Levelised cost (£/MWh) 
			  Wind generation plant  
			 Onshore wind 74-103 
			 Offshore wind 112-131 
		
	
	The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) have published estimated levelised costs (£/MWh, in 2008 prices) associated with 1 MWh of electricity generated, for their December 2008 report:
	http://www.theccc.org.uk/pdf/TSO-ClimateChange.pdf
	Their analysis for fossil fuel plant is set out in table 2 and include construction, operation and maintenance costs and the cost of carbon allowances (EU ETS).
	
		
			  Table 2: Levelised cost estimates for fossil fuel generation plant 
			  Technology  Levelised cost (£/MWh) 
			  Coal-fired plant  
			 Coal (pulverised fuel)-central fuel 54 
			   
			  Gas-fired plant  
			 CCGT-central fuel 53 
		
	
	It should be noted that the estimates of levelised costs for different types of electricity generation are highly sensitive to the assumptions used for capital costs, fuel and EU ETS allowance prices, operating costs, load factor, and other drivers. In reality, there are large uncertainties and ranges around these figures.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Advantage West Midlands

Ken Purchase: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much Advantage West Midlands has allocated to the West Midlands since the agency's creation.

Rosie Winterton: The Advantage West Midlands spent £2,177 million grant-in-aid from 1999-2000 to 2008-2009 and this has been put to very good use in the region. For example;
	Business Link West Midlands (funded by AWM) assisted 139,000 regional businesses and helped create 6,500 business start ups during 2008/09.
	Since 1999, when we created the RDAs, AWM has helped attract 880 inward investments resulting in safeguarding or creating 138,500 jobs in the process.
	Since 2002 the West Midlands Manufacturing Advisory Service has helped more than 5000 manufacturing companies to improve efficiencies and in the process helped add £150 million to their turnover.

Apprentices: Cambridgeshire

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Government funded apprenticeship places were available for young people in North West Cambridgeshire constituency in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows the number of Apprenticeship starts in North-West Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency for learners aged under 19, from academic year 2004/05 to 2008/09.
	
		
			  Table 1: Apprenticeship Programme starts in North-West Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency by under 19 year olds, 2004/05 to 2008/09 
			   North-West Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency 
			 2004/05 250 
			 2005/06 170 
			 2006/07 210 
			 2007/08 210 
			 2008/09 190 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for North-West Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures are based upon home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures are based on age at start of programme. Figures include learners aged 16 to 18-years-old and a small number of under 16s. 4. Figures include Apprenticeships, Advanced Apprenticeships and Higher Level Apprenticeships.  Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of Apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 25 March 2010:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrmar10

Bankruptcy

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many individuals resident in each constituency  (a) in total and  (b) aged over 65 years were subject to a bankruptcy order in each quarter between Quarter 2 of 1997 and Quarter 4 of 2009.

Ian Lucas: Statistics for bankruptcy orders in England and Wales broken down by constituency and age are currently available on an annual basis only and from 2000 to 2008. Sub-national figures for 2009 will be published by the Insolvency Service later in 2010.
	The table exceeds the size that can be incorporated within the answer and so will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Business Link: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Birmingham had received a free health check from Business Link on the latest date for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: 2,848 businesses in Birmingham have received a health check from Business Link West Midlands since the scheme was introduced in October 2008. Of these, 2,058 were firms which employ nine staff or less; a further 579 were businesses with between 10 and 49 staff.

Business: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many guarantees for each type of asset have been provided under his Department's Working Capital Scheme in each constituency.

Rosie Winterton: Under the Working Capital Scheme the Department has provided to two banks £2.2 billion of guarantees on portfolios of commercial loans to free up regulatory capital for new bank lending to UK companies. The scheme does not provide guarantees on assets, and the loan portfolios do not identify parliamentary constituencies.

Business: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding has been provided under his Department's Capital for Enterprise Fund in each constituency.

Rosie Winterton: To date the appointed fund managers of the Capital for Enterprise Fund have made offers totalling £96.7 million to 65 businesses. 26 investments have been made totalling £36.5 million. I am not providing a breakdown by parliamentary constituency as this could make it possible to identify the individual companies that have received support.

Business: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what guarantees have been provided under his Department's Trade Credit Insurance Scheme in each constituency.

Rosie Winterton: At scheme closure on 31 December 2009, 109 policies had been written under the scheme to a value of £18,583,865. This is broken down by constituency as follows:
	
		
			  Constituency  Number of policies  Value of policies  (£) 
			 Altrincham and Sale West 1 50,000 
			 Amber Valley 1 15,000 
			 Beaconsfield 1 10,000 
			 Belfast South 1 84,865 
			 Birkenhead 2 600,000 
			 Birmingham, Ladywood 3 302,000 
			 Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath 2 482,000 
			 Bolton South East 1 750,000 
			 Bradford North 1 90,000 
			 Bristol West 3 83,000 
			 Broxbourne 4 90,000 
			 Burnley 1 20,000 
			 Cannock Chase 1 40,000 
			 Chipping Barnet 1 150,000 
			 Cities of London and Westminster 2 470,000 
			 Cleethorpes 2 100,000 
			 Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill 1 20,000 
			 East Hampshire 1 100,000 
			 East Londonderry 2 240,000 
			 Eccles 1 100,000 
			 Elmet 1 20,000 
			 Exeter 1 60,000 
			 Faversham and Mid Kent 1 35,000 
			 Folkestone and Hythe 1 50,000 
			 Harlow 1 60,000 
			 Heywood and Middleton 2 125,000 
			 Holborn and St. Pancras 2 2,875,000 
			 Huntingdon 1 40,000 
			 Islwyn 2 44,000 
			 Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle 1 75,000 
			 Luton South 1 100,000 
			 Manchester, Blackley 2 175,000 
			 Mid Ulster 1 15,000 
			 Middlesbrough 1 900,000 
			 Mole Valley 1 100,000 
			 Neath 1 100,000 
			 Normanton 4 446,000 
			 North Devon 1 200,000 
			 North East Milton Keynes 2 201,000 
			 North Warwickshire 1 200,000 
			 Northampton South 3 2,000,000 
			 Nuneaton 1 50,000 
			 Ochil and South Perthshire 1 100,000 
			 Reading West 3 3,000,000 
			 Redcar 1 50,000 
			 Richmond Park 4 402,000 
			 Saffron Walden 1 30,000 
			 Scunthorpe 2 200,000 
			 Sheffield, Attercliffe 2 605,000 
			 Sherwood 1 25,000 
			 Shipley 1 176,000 
			 South Derbyshire 1 300,000 
			 Stirling 1 25,000 
			 Stourbridge 1 15,000 
			 Sutton and Cheam 3 203,000 
			 Telford 2 55,000 
			 Tyne Bridge 1 10,500 
			 Vale of York 4 120,000 
			 Walsall South 3 79,500 
			 Wansdyke 1 150,000 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 1 70,000 
			 West Bromwich West 2 87,500 
			 Woking 2 675,000 
			 Wokingham 3 162,500 
			 Wolverhampton North East 1 50,000 
			 Wolverhampton South West 2 275,000 
			 Wyre Forest 1 50,000 
			  109 18,586,865

Business: Government Assistance

Rob Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications for funding under the Small Firms Guarantee scheme have been received by small firms based in  (a) Reading East constituency,  (b) Berkshire and  (c) the South East in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee the number of loans made to small firms based in the Reading, East constituency, the county of Berkshire, and the south-east region in each year from 2006 are as follows:
	
		
			   2006  2007  2008  2009  Total 
			 Reading, East 7 7 6 1 21 
			 Berkshire 67 40 42 9 158 
			 South East 410 377 304 50 1141 
		
	
	The Enterprise Finance Guarantee replaced the Small Firms Loan Guarantee in January 2009.
	Businesses would apply for a loan from any one of the participating accredited lenders who would assess which form of lending, including a SFLG backed loan, was most appropriate. We do not hold figures for those businesses which were instead offered a normal commercial loan, or were rejected for failing to meet the lender's commercial criteria.

Business: Government Assistance

Rob Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many grants to small firms based in  (a) Reading East constituency and  (b) Berkshire under the Small Firms Local Guarantee scheme were between (i) £5,000 and £20,000, (ii) £20,001 and £50,000, (iii) £50,001 and £100,000, (iv) £100,001 and £150,000, (v) £150,001 and £200,000 and (vi) £200,001 and £250,000 in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The Small Firms Loan Guarantee (SFLG) data in the form requested are only available from December 2005. The Enterprise Finance Guarantee replaced the Small Firms Loan Guarantee in January 2009.
	The breakdown of the number of loans to small businesses based in the Reading East constituency, and the county of Berkshire in the amounts specified in each full year from 2006 are as follows:
	
		
			  Reading East Constituency 
			   2006  2007  2008  2009  Total 
			 Up to £20,000 1 0 1 0 2 
			 £20,001 to £50,000 3 3 1 0 7 
			 £50,001 to £100,000 2 3 2 1 8 
			 £100,001 to £150,000 0 0 0 0 0 
			 £150,001 to £200,000 1 0 1 0 2 
			 £200,001 to £250,000 0 1 1 0 2 
			 Total 7 7 6 1 21 
		
	
	
		
			  Berkshire 
			   2006  2007  2008  2009  Total 
			 Up to £20,000 5 2 5 1 13 
			 £20,001 to £50,000 22 16 18 4 60 
			 £50,001 to £100,000 22 14 12 1 49 
			 £100,001 to £150,000 14 6 3 1 24 
			 £150,001 to £200,000 3 0 2 2 7 
			 £200,001 to £250,000 1 2 2 0 5 
			 Total 67 40 42 9 158

Business: Southend-on-Sea

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase investment in industry in Southend-on-Sea; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) works with local and regional partners to ensure effective investment in Southend-on-Sea and support the business community there. EEDA has committed to invest a further £2.485 million over the coming financial year to further expand the facilities at the university of Essex and encourage the growth of the digital technology sector in Southend. This is in addition to essential business support services like Business Link, support for inward investment and the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), which are available to businesses in the area.

Career Development Loans

David Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the  (a) cash cost and  (b) resource cost is of career development loans in England for (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

David Lammy: On 1 July 2009, Government began an enhanced version of Career Development Loans (CDLs) called Professional and Career Development Loans (PCDLs). For 2009-10, the cost of administering these programmes across the UK is expected to be £21.8 million. In 2010-11, as more loans are delivered, the programme is expected to cost around £30 million. England accounts for around 90 per cent. of the PCDL market.
	These programme costs cover: interest payments made by Government to support the individual while in learning; liability as a result of defaulted repayments; administration costs associated with the devolved administrations and of small-value loans; and marketing.
	Final costs are also dependent on a number of other factors, including the Bank of England base rate and the level of take-up of loans offered.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department and its agencies have spent on rooms for staff leisure since it was established.

Pat McFadden: This Department has not spent anything to date on rooms for staff leisure since its inception in June 2009.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 22 March 2010, UIN 324431, to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Companies House has not spent any money on rooms for staff leisure since the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was established in June 2009.
	 Letter from John Alty, dated 24 March 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 22(nd) March 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Prior to 5 June 2009, when the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was formed, the Intellectual Property Office set aside some rooms for staff leisure. However, since that date the IPO has not incurred any expenditure on rooms for staff leisure other than heating, lighting etc.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated March 2010:
	The Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question how much his Department and its agencies have spent on rooms for staff leisure since it was established.
	The Insolvency Service does not have specific rooms set aside for leisure purposes within any of its offices. The Insolvency Service does, however, provide in each of its offices, at least one multi-purpose area for staff to utilise for rest periods or work related meetings.
	The Insolvency service was established in 1990 but there are records of a limited number of previous office premises that offered a specific room for leisure purposes, retrieving and collating the information required would incur a disproportionate cost and this information has not been supplied.
	 Letter from  Peter Mason,, dated 30 March 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (formerly National Weights and Measures Laboratory) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 22 March 2010 reference 2009/1821 to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking how much his Department and its agencies have spent on rooms for staff leisure since it was established.
	The NMO has spent a total of £180.33 on rooms for staff leisure. This was for a fridge (£159.99) and a toaster (£20.34).

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department and its predecessor spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Pat McFadden: Over the last five financial years, this Department and its predecessors have spent the following amounts on interior design in relation to office refurbishments:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005/06 0 
			 2006/07 0 
			 2007/08 65,400 
			 2008/09 52,900 
			 2009/10 376,800 
		
	
	The figures above are inclusive of VAT. The figure for 2009/10 includes costs associated with the major refurbishment of our main ministerial building at 1 Victoria street, enabling the Department to vacate Kingsgate house, London, which currently costs £10 million per annum to run, when the lease on this building expires in March 2012.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) voltage optimisers and  (b) equivalent technologies are used within buildings occupied by his Department.

Pat McFadden: The Department is currently in the process of implementing a project to install voltage reduction equipment at its 1 Victoria Street HQ building and this work will be completed towards the end of 2010.

Departmental Information Officers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to his Department was of employing press and media officers in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department was of employing such staff in financial year 1996-97, expressed in current prices.

Pat McFadden: The total staff costs for press office staff in the financial year 2009/10, up to the end of February 2010, are £1,350,000. This includes staff costs for press officers and support staff working in the press office. A breakdown of costs just for press officers and excluding non-press officers could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	The number of press officers currently at BIS is 29. This combines the press offices from the former BERR and former DIUS. The press office co-ordinates all the media handling for the Department's current 10 Ministers and the Government Chief Scientific Adviser.
	The number of press officers in 1997 was 20. The staff costs are not available and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Pay

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department has allocated for bonuses for staff in 2009-10.

Pat McFadden: An element of the BIS overall pay award for staff below the SCS is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award. There are two types of award: in-year bonuses, which consist of special individual performance awards and non-pay rewards that recognise strong performance in particularly demanding tasks for situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award. Annual performance awards are paid to members of staff who receive a highly successful performance rating.
	Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs.
	Performance awards for the SCS are part of the pay system across the whole senior civil service, and are used to reward high performance sustained throughout the year, based on judgments of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers. The performance related pay scheme is designed to help drive high performance and support better public service delivery. Performance awards are non-consolidated and non pensionable. The percentage of the pay bill set aside for performance-related awards for the SCS is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
	BIS was formed through a MOG change that occurred in June 2009. The Department was created by merging the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). Due to the timing of the MOG change it was decided that both Departments would continue with separate remits for 2009-10 before producing a single BIS remit for 2010-11. The two former Departments have allocated the following amounts of money for performance awards in 2009-10:
	
		
			  Department  Amount of money allocated for in year performance awards  Amount of money allocated for annual performance awards  Total amount of money allocated for performance awards in 2009-10 
			 BERR 427,578 931,300 1,358,878 
			 DIUS Currently unavailable 280,756 n/a 
			  Notes: 1. The data included covers all staff below the SCS.  2. For the SCS the Senior Salaries Review Body determines the level of expenditure to cover bonuses.  3. The DIUS data for the in year performance award budget is currently unavailable as these are held locally at an individual group level. The in year performance bonuses that were awarded in 2008-09 totalled £13,855.

Departmental Pay

Lee Scott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in each year since 2003.

Pat McFadden: An element of the BIS overall pay award for staff below the SCS is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award. There are two types of award: in-year bonuses, which consist of special individual performance awards and non-pay rewards that recognise strong performance in particularly demanding tasks for situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award. Annual performance awards are paid to members of staff who receive a highly successful performance rating.
	Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs.
	Performance awards for the SCS are part of the pay system across the whole senior civil service, and are used to reward high performance sustained throughout the year, based on judgements of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers.
	The performance related pay scheme is designed to help drive high performance and support better public service delivery. Performance awards are non-consolidated and non pensionable. The percentage of the pay bill set aside for performance-related awards for the SCS is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
	BIS was formed through a Machinery of Government change that occurred in June 2009. The department was created by merging The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). DIUS and BERR were themselves created as part of a Machinery of Government Change in June 2007. This means that BIS in its current format did not exist to award performance awards in previous years. The information as follows has been drawn from various data sources and provides details for both of the former departments that were merged to create BIS.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  BERR  DIUS 
			 2008-09 2,827,223 473,026 
			 2007-08 2,958,888 207,041 
			 2006-07 3,023,849 (1)- 
			 2005-06 2,330,532 (1)- 
			 2004-05 2,061,772 (1)- 
			 2003-04 2,026,477 (1)- 
			 (1) DIUS was created by a MOG change that occurred in June 2007 and did not exist before this date. The majority of annual bonuses paid to staff in 2007/08 were issued by the departments that staff had transferred from.

Departmental Rail Travel

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent of first-class rail travel for  (a) Ministers and  (b) staff of each grade in his Department in the last 12 months.

Pat McFadden: Following a machinery of government change the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was formed in June 2009. The following figures include former BERR and DIUS before the merger. The amount spent on first class rail travel for the period March 2009-February 2010 was:
	Rail: £643,890-figures include overseas rail travel
	All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. The Department does not hold separate records of the travel undertaken by Ministers as opposed to those undertaken by civil servants, to provide this information would entail disproportionate costs.
	Cabinet Office provides an annual list of overseas travel over £500 undertaken by Ministers. The 2008/09 list was published on 16 July 2009 and can be viewed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Departmental Senior Civil Servants

David Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many grade 2 civil servants are employed in his Department.

Pat McFadden: holding answer 29 March 2010
	 Grade 2 as a description of staff level is no longer in general use. Senior civil servants in similar sized roles are now referred to as being in pay band 3 and usually have the job title of director general. BIS currently has 11.9 full-time equivalents at this level.

Enterprise Europe Networks

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in which Government Office regions regional Enterprise Europe Networks have been established; and what funding  (a) his Department,  (b) Business Links and  (c) regional development agencies have provided to such networks.

Rosie Winterton: Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) consortia cover all Government office regions. This includes a joint consortium for East and West Midlands.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has not directly funded the network. In three regions EENs have received funding totalling £55,437 from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). BIS, along with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is a parent Department of UKTI.
	No funding has been provided to the EEN by Business Links.
	Six regional development agencies (RDAs) have provided funding for the UK EEN totalling £2,212,485.

Housing: Conferences

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been spent by the  (a) South East,  (b) West Midlands and  (c) North West Development Agency on accreditation for the MIPIM International Property conference in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) 2009 and (iv) 2010 to date.

Rosie Winterton: The RDAs attend the MIPIM International Property conference to attract inward investment to the regions and to showcase land that is available for development in the regions. The following table shows the amounts spent by AWM, NWDA and SEEDA on accreditation:
	
		
			  Accreditation costs (individual registration costs) (£) 
			  RDA  2010  2009  2008  2007 
			 AWM 2,575 2,488 3,980 3,016 
			 NWDA (1)1,130 1,015 None None 
			 SEEDA 2,500 1,491 4,906 6,556 
			 (1) Approx. Expected costs-invoice not received as yet.

Housing: Conferences

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many representatives of the East Midlands Development Agency attended the MIPIM International Property conference in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009.

Rosie Winterton: The information is as follows.
	
		
			   Number of emda staff attending 
			 2007 6 
			 2008 4 
			 2009 1

Housing: Conferences

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many representatives of the North West Development Agency attended the MIPIM International Property Conference in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009.

Rosie Winterton: The information is as follows:
	2007: No attendance from NWDA
	2008: No attendance from NWDA
	2009: One person from NWDA attended.

Housing: Conferences

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many representatives of the South East Development Agency attended the MIPIM International Property Conference in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009.

Rosie Winterton: SEEDA attends MIPIM to attract inward investment to the region and to showcase land that is available for development in the South East.
	
		
			   Number of representatives 
			 2007 20 
			 2008 12 
			 2009 2

Housing: Conferences

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent by the South East Development Agency on  (a) travel and  (b) accommodation for representatives attending the MIPIM International Property Conference in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009.

Rosie Winterton: SEEDA attends MIPIM to attract inward investment to the region and to showcase land that is available for development in the South East.
	
		
			   Travel (£)  Accommodation (£) 
			 2007 13,129 10,273 
			 2008 13,012 7,342 
			 2009 1,919 1,112

Housing: Conferences

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent by the East Midlands Development Agency on  (a) travel and  (b) accommodation for representatives attending the MIPIM International Property Conference in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009.

Rosie Winterton: The information is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Accommodation costs  Travel costs 
			 2007 4,072 3,329 
			 2008 5,700 2,915 
			 2009 1,696 1,044

Learning Disability

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate has been made of the funding required by local authorities to administer the provision of learning for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Iain Wright: holding answer 18 March 2010
	I have been asked to reply.
	The primary source of funding for additional support for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LLDD) aged 16 to 18 is Additional Learning Support Funding (ALS). In 2009-10 this system was administered by local authorities (for school sixth forms) and by the Learning and Skills Council (for other provision 16 to 18). In the 2009/10 academic year the budget for ALS in school sixth forms and 16 to 18 FE provision is £275 million.
	From April 2010 local authorities will assume responsibility for funding all education and training provision for 16 to 18-year-olds. In the 2010/11 academic year local authorities will be allocated £289 million for ALS in school sixth forms and 16 to 18 FE provision to reflect these new responsibilities.

Manufacturing Industries

Robert Wareing: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of gross domestic product the manufacturing industry generated in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2009.

Ian Lucas: The latest year covered by most recent fully balanced UK National Accounts produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is 2007. Manufacturing gross value added (GVA) accounted for 20.3 per cent. of total UK GVA(1) at current prices in 1997, compared to 12.4 per cent. in 2007.
	The ONS are due to publish the next set of balanced UK National Accounts, which will include balanced figures for 2008, in July this year. Currently, the ONS provisionally estimates that manufacturing GVA accounted for 12.3 per cent. of total UK GVA at current prices in 2008. The ONS's early provisional estimates for 2009 suggest that last year manufacturing accounted for 11.8 per cent. of total UK GVA at current prices. This early estimate put the value of manufacturing output at £148.7 billion in 2009, close to the £150.2 billion of manufacturing output produced in 1997.
	(1) Gross value added is the output measure of GDP, but minus taxes less subsidies on products (such as VAT).

North West Development Agency: Visits Abroad

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent by the North West Development Agency on  (a) travel and  (b) accommodation for representatives attending the MIPIM international property conference in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 22 March 2010
	 NWDA Response:
	2007: No attendance from NWDA
	2008: No attendance from NWDA
	2009: One person from NWDA attended.
	Flight-£303
	Accommodation-£1,105 (This is high because you have to take accommodation for minimum of five nights during the MIPIM period, all Cannes hotels operated this principal during 2009).

One North East: Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010,  Official Report, column 298W, on One North East and North East Economic Forum: public relations, for what reason the Regional Development Agency chose to use the services of Sovereign Strategy.

Rosie Winterton: North East Economic Forum (NEEF) events have been sponsored by a number of public and private bodies including One North East. In March 2006, One North East agreed to sponsor NEEF to deliver a series of events to debate economic issues affecting the North East. One North East paid £23,500 in March 2007 for this sponsorship. The payment was made to Sovereign Strategy as it is the company which manages the administration of NEEF. NEEF is a separate company registered with Companies House. One North East has no current contract with Sovereign Strategy.

Regional Planning and Development: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) regional development agencies have allocated to regional design panels since their inception.

Rosie Winterton: Regional Design Panels (RDPs) are mainly funded by the RDAs. EEDA, NWDA, SEEDA, SWRDA and YF are the sole fund providers for their RDPs. AWM and LDA provide contributions to their RDP. ONE does not provide any funding to its RDP.
	The following table gives a breakdown of both core and project funding provided by RDAs for Regional Design Panels (RDP) in their region. Where no data is provided, the RDP in that region was not yet in operation.
	
		
			  £ 000 
			  RDA  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 AWM - - 16 30 43 194 150 150 
			 EEDA - - - - 100 67 128 100 
			 EMDA - 30 40 15 40 20 20 20 
			 LDA - - - - - - 0 15 
			 NWDA - - - - 25 107 115 133 
			 ONE - - - - - - - 0 
			 SEEDA 46 131 102 141 141 141 163 140 
			 SWRDA - - - 72 96 120 80 59 
			 YF - - - - - - - 50 
		
	
	I have approached the Chief Executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 18 December 2009:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 15 December 2009, UIN 308696, to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Companies House has not allocated any funding to regional design panels since their inception.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 21 December 2009:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question what funding  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) regional development agencies have allocated to regional design panels since their inception.
	The Insolvency Service does not have any involvement in regional design panels.
	 Letter from Sean Dennehey, dated 22 December 2009:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 15 December 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office do not provide funding to regional design panels.
	 Letter from Peter Mason, dated 21 December 2009:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 15 December 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Since the formation of the National Measurement Office in April 2009, the Agency has not allocated any funding to the regional design panels.

Research Councils: Finance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to each research council of fluctuations in the sterling exchange rate in the financial year 2009-10; and how much his Department has allocated to compensate research councils for such fluctuations.

David Lammy: holding answer 25 March 2010
	For financial year 2009-10 the movements in the sterling exchange rate have given rise to increases in international subscriptions costs of £13.45 million at NERC and £31.63 million at STFC.
	The Department has provided additional allocations of £12.45 million to NERC and £28.63 million to STFC to compensate them for these extra costs.

Space Technology: Finance

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of the creation of the proposed new UK space agency, including the  (a) rebranding of the British National Space Centre and  (b) public consultation conducted in 2009 on the civil space sector.

David Lammy: The direct cost of creating the new UK Space Agency and rebranding the British National Space Centre (BNSC) is £46,500, relating to the launch event itself (note that this event also included the launch of the Government response to the Space IGT), the development of the logo, the protection of trademarks on the name and logo within the UK, and the website revamp.
	The public consultation was run via the BNSC website and managed within the remit of existing BNSC staff, so did not involve any direct additional costs.

Students: Disabled

James Paice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Student Loans Company follows in administering the disabled students allowance in order to ensure that companies supplying specialist equipment to recipients have the capacity to deliver  (a) the volume of equipment tendered and  (b) ongoing support for the duration of a student's course of study.

David Lammy: There is no contractual relationship between the Student Loans Company (SLC) and companies supplying specialist equipment which may be purchased by recipients of disabled students' allowances (DSAs). The Department recommends that SLC deals with suppliers audited by the disabled students' allowances-Quality Assurance Group(1) and committed to specific service level agreements (which include a requirement to provide support for the duration of the student's course). However, DSAs are personal grants to individual students who are entitled to use whichever supplier they wish.
	(1) The disabled students' allowances-Quality Assurance Group is a registered charity which provides a quality assurance service for assessment centres in the delivery of the disabled students allowances in England and Wales.

Tractors: Government Assistance

Mark Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the merits of a scheme to provide a financial incentive to replace old tractors.

Ian Lucas: I fully appreciate the impact the recession has had on all parts of the UK economy. We do not have any plans to introduce any additional financial incentive to replace old tractors.

Trade Unions

Robert Syms: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many days staff of his Department and its agencies spent on trade union activity in the latest year for which figures are available; and what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of such activity.

Pat McFadden: This Department currently employs 3.0 full time departmental trade union side officers at an approximate cost of £90,000.
	Across BIS, approximately 100 people have facilities time arrangements. The majority of these are very small allocations. It is not possible to provide figures for this except at disproportionate cost.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 16 March 2010:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 1 March 2010, UIN 320618 to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	In the financial year 2009-10 Trade Union representatives used a total of 229.5 days facility time at an estimated cost of £19,350.00.
	The facility time granted to Trade Union representatives in Companies House is in line with the ACAS Code of Practice Time off for Trades Union Duties and Activities.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 9 March 2010:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has asked me to reply to your question regarding how many days staff in The Insolvency Service spent on trade union activity in the latest year for which figures are available, and any estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of this activity.
	The number of recorded days that staff in The Insolvency Service spent on trade union activity from 1st April 2008 to 31st March 2009 was 122.93 (full-time equivalent). It should be noted that this figure is likely to be an under-estimate. Some staff that are not trade union officials but are trade union members, may engage in trade union activities e.g. attendance at officially sanctioned trade union meetings, for which no central records are kept. Additionally, the figure excludes any management involvement in trade union activities e.g. attendance at Whitley meetings (the main employee relations communication and consultation forum with trade unions).
	I am unable to provide any estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of trade union activity, as this would incur disproportionate cost.
	 Letter from John Alty, dated 3 March 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 01 March 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	There were 255 days of allowed staff time spent on trade union activity in the Intellectual Property Office in 2008/09. This came at a cost of approximately £58,000 based on the average cost of the staff involved.
	 Letter from Peter Mason, dated 11 March 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO) to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister of State, Department of Business, Innovation and Skills how many days staff of his Department and its agencies spent on trade union activity in the latest year and what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of such activity.
	The National Measurement Office (NMO) is part of the Partnership Agreement with the Cabinet Office and the Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) and also the Joint Agreement between the Permanent Secretary and the constituent Trade Unions FDA, PCS and Prospect. Under the Agreement and through the Departmental Whitley Council, NMO affords facility time to those members of staff acting as Accredited Officials up to a maximum of 25 days a year paid special leave (40 days for members of the National Executive). Time off for union activities has to be agreed and all time is recorded on the Agency time recording system. Under the Agreement on Facilities for Industrial Relations Activities and Trade Union Activities members may be granted reasonable paid time off for specific union activities as laid out in the agreement and we follow the ACAS Code of Practice Time off for Trades Union Duties and Activities.
	The relevant time recording system was introduced in April 2009 and data is therefore available only for the 11 months to end February 2010. During that period, 9.5 days (66.56 hours) have been credited for union activities. As individual members are from different grades, it is not possible to provide a cost in the time allocated for the reply.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors were taken into account in setting the level of air passenger duty in respect of journeys to the Caribbean; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In reforming air passenger duty (APD) in 2008 the Government sought to ensure that flying contributes fairly to the public finances and, by introducing distance bands, to strengthen the environmental signal of the tax.
	Rates are set after careful deliberation by Ministers, taking into account all relevant factors. Ticketing systems are mainly based on national territories, and as such it is straightforward to base the tax rates to specific destinations on countries, where the capital city is the natural proxy for the country. APD levels on journeys to Caribbean countries are therefore based on the distance between their capitals and London.

Banks: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assets are insured under his Department's Guarantee of Asset-Backed Securities.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government announced the asset-backed securities (ABS) guarantee scheme in January 2009, as part of a package of measures to stabilise financial markets, support lending to the economy and promote the transition towards a sustainable unguaranteed market. The ABS guarantee scheme closed on 31 December 2009.

Banks: Finance

Sally Keeble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much public funding has been provided to assist banks since the start of the credit crunch.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Details of the financial support provided to UK banks are provided in Budget 2010 and the Treasury's Resource Accounts.

Banks: Loans

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Financial Statement of 24 March 2010,  Official Report, column 258, how much of the £94 billion of new business loans will be provided by  (a) RBS and  (b) Lloyds TSB; and what steps he plans to take should either bank not meet its loan targets.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: For the second year of the Lending Commitments, Lloyds Banking Group have agreed to lend £44 billion to businesses, and RBS have agreed to lend £50 billion to businesses.
	If the Government's judgment is that either bank has failed to meet their lending commitments for year two, or has seriously breached the behaviours set out under their SME Customer Charters, the Government will inform UK Financial Investments, which will work with the remuneration committees of the relevant banks to determine the appropriate consequences of the breach of the year two commitments or the customer charters to the relevant executives.

Banks: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in City of York constituency who have benefited from the Government's guarantee to depositors with Icelandic banks; and what estimate has been made of the average monetary value of their deposits.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Using orders made under the Banking (Special Provisions) Act 2008, the retail deposit business of the UK subsidiaries of Kaupthing and Landsbanki respectively, Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander (KSF) and Heritable, were transferred to ING.
	At the time of the transfer approximately £3.6 billion was paid to ING by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and the Treasury to facilitate the transfer of the retail deposit business. No estimate has been made specifically of the number of KSF and Heritable retail depositors living in York and the corresponding value of their deposits.
	Retail depositors with Landsbanki (Icesave) are being compensated on an individual depositor-by-depositor basis by the FSCS. According to the FSCS about 2,369 retail depositors living in York have received payments from the FSCS. The total sum paid to retail depositors living in York is about £47.3 million, an average of £20,000 per depositor.

Business: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Birmingham had received assistance from the Business Payment Support Service on the latest date for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: Since its introduction on 24 November 2008, and up to 21 March 2010, HM Revenue and Customs' Business Payment Support Service (BPSS) has agreed over 307,000 time to pay arrangements with businesses in the UK to spread tax payments of just under £5.2 billion over an agreed period.
	During the same period, the BPSS has agreed around 3,800 arrangements worth £71 million in Birmingham.

Cheques

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has had discussions with  (a) pensioner groups and  (b) other representatives of vulnerable people on proposals to end the cheque clearing system;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Payments Council on plans for alternative payment methods for cheque users should the cheque clearing system be ended.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The closure of cheque and credit clearing, the UK system that processes cheques, is a commercial decision for the Payments Council, an independent body that sets the strategy for UK payment systems, will take.
	However, the Government recognise that certain groups (in particular the elderly, small businesses and the Third Sector) still value and are highly dependent on the cheque as a method of payment. We believe it is imperative that adequate alternatives are in place for all users of cheques, ahead of any potential closure of the cheque clearing system.
	The Government have received representations on cheques directly from members of the public and Members of Parliament. Treasury officials are engaging with the Payments Council to ensure that the concerns of all cheque users are fully represented in any final decision to be taken in 2016 regarding the closure of the cheques clearing system.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Valuation Office Agency's Council Tax Revaluation 2007 Programme Board minutes of 26 June 2003, paragraph 5, if he will place in the Library a copy of the paper on recommended choice of Automated Valuation Model vendor.

Ian Pearson: This paper contains commercially sensitive information on the companies involved in the selection process and cannot be placed in the public domain.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Valuation Office Agency's Council Tax Revaluation 2007 Programme Board minutes of 19 October 2004, paragraph 3.5, if he will place in the Library a copy of the due diligence review conducted by the IAAO.

Ian Pearson: This review provides a description of the Valuation Office Agency's (VOA's) implementation of automated valuation modelling technology and a detailed analysis of the results it achieved. This is commercially sensitive and cannot be placed in the public domain.

Credit Unions

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on the provision of  (a) financial and  (b) other support for credit unions; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Government have set aside almost £100 million as Growth Fund money for onward lending by credit unions and community development financial institutions. Over 240,000 credit union members have benefited from these loans to date with the average loan being around £450.
	The Legislative Reform Order for Industrial and Provident Societies and credit unions is currently passing through Parliament using the super-affirmative procedure, while the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies and Credit Unions Act received Royal Assent on 11 March.
	We announced at Budget 2010:
	The Government will continue to work to improve the supply of affordable credit for low-income households, including by supporting third sector lenders. It will consult on options to make sure banks make an appropriate contribution to community lenders through regulatory action or a new community levy to be funded by retail banks.
	These initiatives show the Government's commitment towards credit unions and other mutual societies in the role they play in providing greater choice and diversity in the financial services sector.

Departmental Advertising

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether  (a) his Department,  (b) HM Revenue and Customs and  (c ) the Valuation Office Agency has incurred expenditure on Google Adwords in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury has not spent any money on Google Adwords. HM Revenue and Customs and the Valuation Office Agency spent £550,000 and £37,000 respectively on Google Adwords in the last 12 months.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department and its agencies have spent on rooms for staff leisure in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury spending on rooms used for staff leisure is limited to standard maintenance costs and is therefore indistinguishable from spending on rooms used entirely for business purposes.
	The Office of Government Commerce spent £10,000 upgrading shower facilities in 2009, with no other separately distinguishable expenditure for earlier years.
	The UK Debt Management Office does not have any rooms allocated purely for staff leisure purposes.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department provides subsidised gym facilities for its staff.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In 1 Horse Guards road, the Treasury Sports and Social Club allow the company Energy Fitness Professionals to run a gym and classes to which it provides no financial subsidy other than providing Energy Fitness Professionals with the free accommodation.
	Rosebery Court in Norwich has one gym, run by the Rosebery Court Sports and Social Club. Gym users pay to use this gym directly to the social club, and it is not subsidised by either the social club or the department.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9 March 2010,  Official Report, column 266W.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) voltage optimisers and  (b) equivalent technologies are used within buildings occupied by his Department.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In March 2009, HM Treasury Group was the first central Government Department to achieve the Carbon Trust's Carbon Standard for sustained improvement on a range of environmental indicators across its estate, and is committed to further improvements. It has achieved this without the installation of voltage optimisers or similar technology but keeps this under regular review.

Departmental Furniture

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on antique furniture in each of the last five years; and what items were purchased in each such year.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury has not purchased any antique furniture in the past five years.

Departmental Information Officers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to his Department was of employing press and media officers in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department was of employing such staff in the financial year 1996-97, expressed in current prices.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 March 2010,  Official Report, column 190W, to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Mr. Shapps). Information on the cost of employing Press Officers in 1996-97 could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints his Department received regarding difficulties using its Department's website in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury has received no complaints regarding difficulties operating its website in each of the last three years.

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on external website design consultants in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury has not spent any money on external website design consultants between 2006-07 and 2008-09.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies are in transition prior to being managed out; how long on average the transition window between notification and exit has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its agencies in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of the salary costs of staff in transition in each such year; and what proportion of employees in transition were classed as being so for more than six months in each year;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies managed out in the last five years who remain working in the public sector.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Employees across the Treasury Group are kept informed of any forthcoming changes in organisational roles or functions, and full support is given to employees. Staff have six months' notice, more in the case of disabled staff, in order to find alternative employment.
	Information covering HM Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is set out in the following table. The Treasury and OGC figures for 2008-09 relate to additional time given to employees to seek alternative employment elsewhere in the civil service.
	The Debt Management Office (DMO) has not had any employees in transition over the last five years.
	Estimates of salary costs, and of the percentage of former staff who remain in the public sector, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Organisation  Average time (months)  Number of staff 6 months 
			  HM Treasury   
			 2004-05 4.0 5 
			 2005-06 0.0 0 
			 2006-07 6.0 5 
			 2007-08 4.8 5 
			 2008-09 14.0 5 
			
			  OGC   
			 2004-05 0.0 0 
			 2005-06 0.0 0 
			 2006-07 0.0 0 
			 2007-08 6.3 34 
			 2008-09 15.0 14 
		
	
	Information relating to fewer than five cases has been withheld where this could lead to the identification of protected personal information.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on (i) alcohol and (ii) entertainment in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In 2008-09, the Treasury spent £91,000 and the Office of Government Commerce £1,000 on official entertainment.
	For information on alcohol spending by the Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce, I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle) gave on 9 March 2009,  Official Report, column 103W, to the hon. Member for Reading, East (Mr. Wilson). The Debt Management Office spent £10,000 on official entertainment in 2008-09, of which £2,000 was spent on alcohol.
	All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Surveys

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the benchmark results of the Civil Service People Survey for his Department and its agencies.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Summaries of the results for HM Treasury and Office of Government Commerce have been placed in the Library. The Debt Management Office (DMO) will place a copy of the results of its survey results in the Library after they have been shared with DMO staff.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from which companies his Department sourced temporary staff in each of the last three years; how many temporary staff his Department employed in each year; and what the monetary value of the contracts with each such company was in each such year.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury has used the following companies to provide temporary staff in 2008-09. Information on the numbers of temporary staff employed is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Year 2008-09 
			  Supplier name  £ 
			 Brook Street (UK)Ltd. 6,000 
			 Huntress Search Ltd. 1,000 
			 Kelly Services (UK) Ltd. 145,000 
			 Office Angels - 
			 OSR Recruitment Services 1,000 
			 Reed Employment plc 4,000 
			 Reed Personnel Services plc 1,000 
			 Total 158,000 
		
	
	Details for the years 2006-07 and 2007-08 were contained in the answer provided to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 799W.

Hamas

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps he has taken to freeze the assets of financial institutions operating in UK jurisdictions which provide banking facilities to Hamas.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Hamas (including its military wing, the Izz-al-Din al-Qassem Brigades) is subject to an EU asset freeze under Council Regulation (EC) No. 2580/2001. The Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2009 provides enforcement provisions in the UK in respect of this Regulation. Hamas' military wing is also proscribed in the UK.
	As such, any financial institutions or other persons that hold or operate accounts for Hamas (including its military wing) are required to freeze those accounts. In addition, the asset freeze prevents financial institutions and others from making funds, economic resources or financial services available to Hamas.
	The prohibitions in the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2009 apply to persons in the UK and British citizens elsewhere, including corporate bodies incorporated or constituted under the law of any part of the UK or a Scottish partnership, including banks, financial institutions, charitable organisations and non-governmental organisations, in the UK or established under UK law.

Hotels

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely annual savings to the public purse of the use by Government Departments of the Expotel facility for hotel bookings.

Ian Pearson: It is for the relevant public sector body to account for their savings through the use of the Expotel contract.

Housing: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 265W, on valuation, how many new conservatories local authorities have notified to the Valuation Office Agency in the last 12 months.

Ian Pearson: This information cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.

Islamic National Bank: Palestinians

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with his US counterparts on freezing by the US administration of assets of the Islamic National Bank based in Gaza.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers have discussions with a variety of individuals and organisations, including international partners, as part of the process of policy development and delivery on counter-terrorist finance. As with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Minimum Wage: North West

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) penalty notices and  (b) financial penalties have been issued to employers in each local authority area in the North West for paying employees at rates below the national minimum wage in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Prior to 6 April 2009, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued penalty notices to those employers who failed to comply, within 28 days, with an enforcement notice.
	From 6 April 2009, the national minimum wage (NMW) enforcement regime includes the issue of an automatic penalty in most cases of minimum wage non-compliance.
	The information requested at a regional level is provided in the following table. HMRC does not maintain statistical information by local authority areas. All penalties issued have a financial amount payable.
	
		
			   NMW penalty notices issued by HMRC to employers in the north-west 
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 1 
			 2008-09 1 
			 2009 (to February 2010) 33 notices of underpayment issued with penalties

Money Laundering

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many incidents possibly related to money laundering  (a) the Inland Revenue and  (b) HM Customs and Excise have reported to the appropriate investigative agencies in each year since 1997; and how many prosecutions resulted from these reports in each year.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is authorised to investigate money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, as was the former HM Customs and Excise (HMCE). HMRC officers investigate money laundering with their own resources, and will not generally make disclosures to another agency. However where HMRC (and previously HMCE) detect money laundering that is related to offences which are outside the remit of HMRC, for example people trafficking or robbery, it may refer those to another agency that has primacy in the respective area. Since 2001, 47 money laundering cases have been referred to other agencies.
	Powers to allow the former Inland Revenue to pass disclosures relating to incidents of suspected money laundering to other investigatory agencies came into force with other provisions of the Anti-terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 on 14 December 2001. Prior to the merger of HMCE and Inland Revenue in April 2005, the Inland Revenue made 16 disclosures to the appropriate agencies.
	HMRC, under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, is the supervisory authority regulator of High Value Dealers, Money Service Businesses, Trust or Company Service Providers, and Accountancy Service Providers. In relation to these areas, if HMRC knows or suspects that a person is, or has, engaged in money laundering or terrorist financing, it has an obligation to inform the Serious Organised Crime Agency. HMRC has made 15 referrals to SOCA since the 2007 regulations came into force.
	Disclosures to other agencies by HMRC relating to money laundering can be used by other law enforcement agencies in a variety of ways to detect crime and trace the proceeds of criminal activity. For example, such information may contribute to an ongoing investigation, trigger a new investigation or be held on the relevant intelligence database for future cases.
	HMRC does not know the outcome of all referrals and given the variety of ways in which information is used, it is not possible to link particular disclosures with particular prosecutions and convictions in the majority of cases.

Non-domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to page 6 of the Explanatory Memorandum to the Non-Domestic Rating (Unoccupied Property) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010, what assessment has been made of the effect in ports on corporation tax revenues of the new regime of retrospective business rates; and what methodology is used to assess the effect of  (a) lower and  (b) higher business rates on corporation tax revenues.

Ian Pearson: As regards the backdating of non-domestic property rateable values in English and Welsh ports, the payment scheme introduced to allow affected business to spread their liabilities over eight years was judged to have a negligible impact on corporation tax revenues.
	In the case of the extension of temporary rate relief for empty business properties (Explanatory Memorandum to the Non-Domestic Rating Amendment Regulations-2010 No. 408) the methodology underlying the corporation tax implications, referred to on page 6 of the impact assessment, was covered in paragraphs 18 and 19 of the accompanying 'Evidence Base'.

Non-domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) monetary value of retrospective business rate demands for port businesses, excluding the sum payable in respect of the current period; and how many newly-assessed businesses have (i) paid in respect of the new assessment and (ii) paid or made a contribution under his extended payment proposals.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 25 March 2010
	I have been asked to reply.
	As at 23 December 2009, the Valuation Office Agency have advised my Department that 724 newly assessed, port based properties are liable for backdated rates to 1 April 2005.
	An estimate of the monetary value of the backdated liabilities was made in respect of all ratepayers (not just port based properties) and was published in the impact assessment alongside the Explanatory Memorandum for the Non Domestic Rating (collection and Enforcement) (local Lists) (England) (Amendment) regulations 2009
	http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/em/uksiem_20090204_en.pdf
	This states that the estimated backdated liability, before the application of any reliefs, is forecast to be approximately £131 million and the cost of the scheme to be approximately £33 million.
	The Government have listened to the concerns of businesses with significant and unexpected backdated bills, including some situated in ports. It has legislated to enable such bills to be repaid over an unprecedented eight years rather than in a single instalment, helping affected businesses to manage the impact on their cash flows during the downturn by reducing the amount they are required to pay now by 87.5 per cent.
	As at 8 October 2009, local authorities have reported that ratepayers occupying 221 properties within ports had fully discharged their backdated liability and ratepayers occupying a further 200 business properties within ports had been granted a schedule of payments. The Government do not have information on how many payments, or of what amount, the 200 properties with schedule of payments agreements have made.

Opposition

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has undertaken costings of the policies of  (a) the Conservative Party and  (b) the Liberal Democrat Party at the request of Ministers or special advisers in the last 36 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Details of opposition policy costings undertaken by the Department are contained in two FOI releases published in February on the Department's website. They can be found at the following addresses:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/foi_opposition_costings_170210.htm
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/foi_opposition_costings_050210.htm

PAYE: Belfast

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people with a BT postcode paying income tax as part of the Pay As You Earn system in 2009 had more than one income stream.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 23 March 2010
	From the Survey of Personal Incomes, HM Revenue and Customs estimates that 629,000 taxpayers in Northern Ireland had employment income for 2007-08, the latest year available. The survey does not count the number of separate income sources.

Poverty

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the measures to promote employment as the best route out of poverty, referred to in Chapter 2 of Ending Child Poverty: Mapping the Route to 2020 apply to  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland.

Helen Goodman: I have been asked to reply
	The purpose of the strategic direction paper-Ending Child Poverty: Mapping the route to 2020 is to set out the Government's strategic direction and key priorities for ending child poverty by 2020 and beyond and paves the way for the National Strategy which will be published next year.
	It is not for the strategic direction paper to set out the detailed policies and implementation plan needed to achieve the targets set out in the Bill-this will be the task for the National Strategy. The listed employment measures in chapter two of Ending Child Poverty: Mapping the route to 2020 are suggested policy areas for the next strategy to take into account rather than policies to be implemented across the UK.
	Alongside the full UK strategy, the devolved Administrations will each produce strategies to cover non-reserved areas. The UK Government will continue to work closely with all three devolved Administrations to promote consistency in the policies that are being delivered for children across the UK and so the respective child poverty strategies compliment each other.

Revenue and Customs: Data Protection

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  from what baselines HM Revenue and Customs will measure progress against its strategic objectives in respect of data security between 2009 and 2012; and by what mechanism such progress will be  (a) measured and  (b) evaluated;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2010,  Official Report, column 74W, on Revenue and Customs: data protection, how many data security incidents there were in his Department in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and what estimate he has made of the number of persons affected.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) plans to achieve its data security targets, and the measurement criteria to evaluate performance against them, are set out in the Department's annual business plans, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm
	Information on data security incidents in 2008-09 is published on page 15 of HMRC's 2008-09 accounts; available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-accs-0809.pdf
	Information for 2009-10 will be published in HMRC's 2009-10 accounts.

Revenue and Customs: Debt Collection

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish his Department's evaluation of the trials involving the collection by commercial agencies of debt owed to HM Revenue and Customs.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs currently expects to be able to publish a summary of the small scale pilot to test the use of commercial debt collection agencies by autumn 2010.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was received in stamp duty land tax for purchases over £500,000 in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Estimated stamp duty land tax (SDLT) receipts for purchases over £500,000, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-3.xls
	are given in the following table for years from 1997-98:
	
		
			  Estimated SDLT( 1 ) receipts 
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 640 
			 1998-99 1,140 
			 1999-2000 1,580 
			 2000-01 1,930 
			 2001-02 1,885 
			 2002-03 2,050 
			 2003-04 2,125 
			 2004-05 2,825 
			 2005-06 3,935 
			 2006-07 4,975 
			 2007-08 5,410 
			 2008-09 2,740 
			 (1)This was stamp duty on land and property prior to December 2003. 
		
	
	Estimates for 1997-98 to 2000-01 were published in previous years at the same web address.

Taxation: Highland Airways

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether HM Revenue and Customs provided assistance to Highland Airways through the business payments scheme;
	(2)  whether HM Revenue and Customs had discussions with Highland Airways prior to its entry into receivership.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs is under a strict, statutory, duty of confidentiality and cannot comment on the tax affairs of individual businesses.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he made an assessment of the merits of bringing forward proposals to extend the provisions of the Furnished Holiday Lettings rules to all UK owners of furnished holiday accommodation in the UK and other EEA countries.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 29 March 2010
	An assessment of extending the Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) rules to those with furnished holiday accommodation in other EEA countries was included in the impact assessment published alongside the 2009 pre-Budget report, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2009/furnished-holiday-ia-3760.pdf

Taxation: Personal Records

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether  (a) hon. Members,  (b) noble Lords,  (c) researchers,  (d) former elected representatives,  (e) local authority councillors and  (f) members of the armed forces are eligible for special category status for personal tax records held by HM Revenue and Customs;
	(2)  how many staff members of  (a) HM Revenue and Customs and  (b) the Valuation Office Agency have their personal tax records given a special category classification.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) applies high standards of confidentiality and security to all customer data. The provision of additional safeguards in respect of data relating to certain categories of individuals is an operational matter for HMRC. I am able to confirm that Ministers of the Crown, some Elected Representatives and certain other individuals are subject to additional safeguards. All HMRC staff are subject to additional safeguards for reasons of propriety.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are estimated to have been late in filing their tax returns by 31 January 2010.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 22 March 2010
	1,165,538 self-assessment tax returns were not filed by 31 January 2010.

Taxation: Self-assessment and PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the cost under each budget heading was of administering the  (a) Pay-As-You-Earn and  (b) self-assessment system in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2008 and (iv) 2009.;
	(2)  how much it cost to operate PAYE, Self Assessment and national insurance in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007,  (c) 2008 and  (d) 2009, broken down by budget heading.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is set out in the following table. The figures are based upon an allocation of total costs for the Department. HMRC's reporting systems do not allow for costs to be reported at the level of budget heading.
	The figures reflect a period of significant change across HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) following the merger of Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise, and the creation of the UK Border Agency. Consequently, the allocations of overhead costs have not always been consistent as structures change, and improvements are made.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   HMRC's administrative costs 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Pay-as-you-earn 919.2 944.4 949.3 951.5 
			 Self-assessment 867.1 926.7 805.0 899.3 
			 National Insurance 360.6 338.1 374.0 346.2 
		
	
	A large part of the increase in reported cost between 2005-06 and 2006-07 was due to the introduction of a new financial system in April 2006. This system allowed additional costs that were previously treated as departmental overheads to be directly allocated to business functions. This resulted in the increase of costs directly attributed to income tax functions.
	Departmental restructuring during 2007-08 affected the way in which cost allocation data was captured during the year. As a consequence of this, the figure of £805 million for administering income tax self-assessment during 2007-08 is likely to be understated.

Valuation Office Agency: Contracts

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 4 February 2010,  Official Report, column 522W, on the Valuation Office: contracts, how much was spent with Gfk NOP Ltd. in 2008-09; what polling and opinion research was purchased by the Valuation Office Agency from GfK NOP Ltd.; and for what purposes.

Ian Pearson: Expenditure incurred by the Valuation Office Agency in relation to GfK NOP Ltd. was £84,919. No polling material was purchased.

Valuation Office Agency: Contracts

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 4 February 2010,  Official Report, column 522W, on the Valuation Office: contracts, how much was spent with Speakers for Business in 2008-09; which speakers were hired; and for what purposes.

Ian Pearson: The Valuation Office Agency spent £2,375 on Speakers for Business. This related to speaking engagements from Professor Richard Scase and Col. Bob Stewart and related to staff training and development on leadership and managing change in the finance function of the VOA.

VAT: Churches

Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received in favour of the extension of the provisions of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme beyond March 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations. The future of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme beyond March 2011 will be considered in the spending review later this year.

Welfare Tax Credits

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many checks his Department carried out on  (a) expenditure on (i) food and (ii) childcare by and  (b) bank statements from more than six months previously of recipients of tax credits in each year since 2005; what criteria are used to decide to carry out such checks; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available. For information relating to HM Revenue and Customs compliance checks on tax credits awards I refer the hon. Member to the information published in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 Comptroller and Auditor General's standard reports.
	Information for years up to and including 2007-08 can be found in table 6 on page R15 of the 2007-08 report published at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-dep-acct0708.pdf
	Similar information for 2008-09 is included in table 33 on page R41 of the Standard Report published at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-accs-0809.pdf
	Providing further information about the criteria used to carry out such checks might assist those attempting to defraud the system.

JUSTICE

Land Registry

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate the Land Registry made of the average price of  (a) a detached house,  (b) a semi-detached house,  (c) a terraced house,  (d) flat and  (e) an average dwelling in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the most recent period for which figures are available in (A) England, (B) each Government Office region and (C) each local authority area.

Michael Wills: Land Registry is able to provide information based on the total number of residential properties sold at full value(1) in the requested categories in 1996 and 2009, for (A) England and Wales and (C) each local authority. Land Registry do not hold figures broken down by Government office region. The information has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	(1) Full value = residential property transactions where the full price has been paid. The figures exclude a number of transactions including Right to Buy sales at a discount, properties sold by way of a gift and properties sold under a compulsory purchase or court order.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Dundee East of 12 March 2010,  Official Report, column 545W, on Ministerial policy advisers, what contractors from each company were employed by the Communications Directorate; and what the cost to the public purse was of each contract.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice was formed in May 2007 and is one of the largest Government Departments. Communications, including the work of the press office, is an important element of this. The Ministry of Justice press office operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, dealing with all media relations for the Department and its Agencies from the international, national and regional media. Communication in all its forms is an important element of ensuring that the public know and understand the work of the Ministry of Justice and its Agencies. Contractors and agency staff play a part in the functioning of the Communications Directorate where expert knowledge is required for a defined period of time.
	Contractors and agency staff who work as communications officers include press officers, intranet/internet staff, event organisation, marketing and publishing staff and others involved in communications roles. Support staff and consultants are excluded from the following information.
	Under the Data Protection Principles in the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), it is not possible to disclose the positions of each individual contractor or agency staff member as it would breach the fair processing principle. The individual to whom the personal data relate has a reasonable expectation that the Department would hold that information in confidence. However, outside of the Act this information can be provided at agency level.
	The amount spent in 2008-09 by agency:
	
		
			  Agency  Expenditure (£) 
			 Adecco 2,208 
			 Badenoch 190,438 
			 Beetroot publishing 2,350 
			 Brook Street 9,021 
			 Central Office of Information (including GovGap) 263,688 
			 Hays 29,269 
			 Hudson 8,591 
			 Human Resources 47,468 
			 Huntress 37,076 
			 Inkhorn 60,154 
			 Levy 44,677 
			 Michael Page 536,336 
			 Morgan Hunt 262,609 
			 Parity 19,269 
			 Sands 262,313 
			 Self-Employed 686 
			 Starflash 5,840 
			 Venn 42,974 
			 VMA 241,332 
			 Grand Total 2,066,299 
		
	
	The amount spent in 2007-08 by agency:
	
		
			 Agency Expenditure (£) 
			 Adecco 11,974 
			 Badenoch 76,636 
			 BNB Recruitment Consultancy 13,953 
			 Capita 45,000 
			 Central Office of Information (including GovGap) 45,364 
			 Certes 4,676 
			 Generic Recruitment 30,848 
			 Hays Specialist Recruitment 952 
			 Hudson 133,295 
			 Huntress 9,593 
			 JCT Communications 6,960 
			 Levy 5,054 
			 Michael Page 98,125 
			 Morgan Hunt 123,825 
			 Reed 56,668 
			 Sands 73,837 
			 Self-Employed 22,684 
			 Venn 29,592 
			 VMA 185,000 
			 Grand Total 974,037 
		
	
	The costs of press and communications officers relate to the Communications Directorate at the Ministry of Justice headquarters and communications functions in its four executive agencies (HM Courts Service, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), the Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian).
	The growth in expenditure on press officers and communications officers reflects the significantly increased size and remit of MOJ compared to its predecessor, the Department for Constitutional Affairs, and a consequent need to increase the number and capability of staff employed. To meet the challenge, a number of communications-led projects were undertaken which required the employment of specialist contractors by the MOJ HQ Communications Directorate, for a limited period of time which further increased costs in 2008-09 on a one-off basis.
	A minor proportion of these costs have been estimated where separate records had not been kept at the time.
	Expenditure on communications officers by the National Offender Management Service is not directly comparable between years and includes only the central internal communications unit. Furthermore, 2007-08 figures exclude the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This is due to reorganisation within the Department between the two financial years.

Antisocial Behaviour: Fixed Penalties

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) of 1 March 2010,  Official Report, column 947W, on anti-social behaviour: fixed penalties, what powers representatives of parish councils have to issue penalty notices for disorder; and what changes there have been to parish councils' powers to issue fines or fixed penalty notices since 1997.

Claire Ward: It is possible for a parish warden to be accredited under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme. In granting accreditation, the chief officer of the local police force may also grant powers that include a power to issue penalty notices for disorder.
	Parish council representatives also have powers to issue other fixed penalty notices. The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 allows parish councils to prosecute, in the magistrates court, those that are suspected of committing an offence against a dog control order, or who are suspected of having committed a litter, graffiti or fly-posting offence. The Act gives the power to parish councils to authorise staff to issue fixed penalty notices to alleged offenders as an alternative to prosecution.

Approved Premises: Prisons

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) custodial institutions and  (b) approved premises there are in each constituency or smallest comparable local area for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Details of custodial institutions (including young offender institutions and immigration removal centres operated by the National Offender Management Service, secure training centres and secure children's homes) and approved premises in each constituency are set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  Custodial institutions by constituency 
			  Constituency  Number 
			 Arundel and South Downs 1 
			 Aylesbury 1 
			 Banbury 1 
			 Bedford 1 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 2 
			 Birmingham Ladywood 1 
			 Bishop Auckland 1 
			 Blaby 1 
			 Boston and Skegness 1 
			 Bridgend 1 
			 Bristol West 1 
			 Bromsgrove 1 
			 Broxtowe 1 
			 Buckingham 1 
			 Burton 1 
			 Cambridgeshire North East 1 
			 Canterbury 1 
			 Cardiff Central 1 
			 Chelmsford West 1 
			 Chorley 2 
			 City of Durham 3 
			 Copeland 1 
			 Daventry 2 
			 Derbyshire South 1 
			 Derbyshire West 1 
			 Devizes 1 
			 Devon West and Torridge 1 
			 Don Valley 2 
			 Doncaster Central 1 
			 Dorset North 1 
			 Dorset South 2 
			 Dorset West 1 
			 Dover 1 
			 Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush 1 
			 Eccles 2 
			 Elmet 2 
			 Erith and Thamesmead 1 
			 Exeter 2 
			 Fareham 1 
			 Faversham and Kent Mid 1 
			 Feltham and Heston 1 
			 Fylde 1 
			 Gloucester 1 
			 Gosport 1 
			 Haltemprice and Howden 2 
			 Harborough 1 
			 Henley 1 
			 Hertfordshire South West 1 
			 Hexham 1 
			 Hull East 1 
			 Huntingdon 1 
			 Isle of Wight 1 
			 Islington North 1 
			 Islington South and Finsbury 1 
			 Kingswood 1 
			 Knowsley North and Sefton East 1 
			 Lancaster and Wyre 2 
			 Leeds North West 1 
			 Leeds West 1 
			 Leicester South 1 
			 Leigh 1 
			 Lewes 1 
			 Lincoln 1 
			 Liverpool Walton 2 
			 Maidstone and The Weald 1 
			 Manchester Blackley 1 
			 Medway 3 
			 Mid Norfolk and North Norfolk(1) 1 
			 Milton Keynes South West 2 
			 Mole Valley 1 
			 Monmouth 1 
			 Neath 1 
			 Newark 1 
			 Norfolk South West 1 
			 Northavon 3 
			 North West Durham 1 
			 Norwich North 1 
			 Nottingham East 1 
			 Peterborough 1 
			 Portsmouth South 1 
			 Preston 1 
			 Rayleigh 1 
			 Reading East 1 
			 Reigate 2 
			 Richmond 1 
			 Richmond Park 1 
			 Rochdale 1 
			 Rugby and Kenilworth 1 
			 Rushcliffe 1 
			 Rutland and Melton 2 
			 Sedgefield 1 
			 Selby 1 
			 Sheffield, Hallam 1 
			 Sherwood 1 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham 1 
			 Shropshire North 1 
			 Sittingbourne and Sheppey 3 
			 Sleaford and North Hykeham 2 
			 Spelthorne 1 
			 St. Helens North 1 
			 Stafford 1 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands 1 
			 Staffordshire South 2 
			 Stockton North 1 
			 Stockton South 1 
			 Stone 1 
			 Streatham 1 
			 Suffolk Coastal 2 
			 Suffolk West 2 
			 Surrey Heath 1 
			 Swansea West 1 
			 Tamworth 1 
			 Tatton 1 
			 Tooting 1 
			 Totnes 1 
			 Tunbridge Wells 1 
			 Wakefield 2 
			 Warrington North 2 
			 Waveney 1 
			 Wellingborough 1 
			 Wells 1 
			 Winchester 1 
			 Worcestershire Mid 1 
			 Yorkshire East 1 
			 (1) One prison crosses the boundaries of the constituencies of Mid Norfolk and North Norfolk. 
		
	
	
		
			  Approved premises by constituency 
			  Constituency  Number 
			 Aldridge-Brownhills 1 
			 Batley and Spen 1 
			 Battersea 1 
			 Beckenham 1 
			 Bedford 1 
			 Billericay 1 
			 Birmingham, Edgbaston 1 
			 Birmingham, Parry Barr 1 
			 Birmingham, Selly Oak 2 
			 Blackburn 1 
			 Bournemouth East 1 
			 Brent East 1 
			 Bridgwater 1 
			 Brighton, Kemptown 1 
			 Bristol North West 1 
			 Bristol West 2 
			 Bury North 1 
			 Camberwell and Peckham 1 
			 Cardiff West 1 
			 Carlisle 1 
			 Central Suffolk and North Ipswich 1 
			 City of York 1 
			 Clwyd South 1 
			 Congleton 1 
			 Conwy 1 
			 Denton and Reddish 1 
			 Derby North 1 
			 Dewsbury 1 
			 Doncaster Central 1 
			 Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush 1 
			 Eccles 1 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 1 
			 Falmouth and Camborne 1 
			 Fareham 1 
			 Gloucester 1 
			 Guildford 1 
			 Havant 1 
			 Heywood and Middleton 1 
			 Holborn and St. Pancras 2 
			 Hyndburn 1 
			 Ipswich 1 
			 Islington North 1 
			 Kingston upon Hull North 1 
			 Leeds Central 2 
			 Leeds North West 2 
			 Leicester South 2 
			 Lewisham West 1 
			 Lincoln 1 
			 Liverpool Riverside 3 
			 Liverpool Wavertree 1 
			 Luton South 1 
			 Maidstone and The Weald 1 
			 Manchester Central 1 
			 Manchester, Withington 1 
			 Middlesbrough 1 
			 Milton Keynes South West 1 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme 1 
			 Northampton North 1 
			 Norwich North 1 
			 Nottingham East 1 
			 Nottingham South 1 
			 Nuneaton 1 
			 Oldham West and Royton 1 
			 Oxford East 2 
			 Peterborough 1 
			 Plymouth, Sutton 1 
			 Reading West 2 
			 Redcar 1 
			 Richmond Park 1 
			 Rotherham 1 
			 Scunthorpe 1 
			 Sheffield Heeley 1 
			 Sherwood 1 
			 South Dorset 1 
			 Southampton Test 1 
			 Stafford 1 
			 Stoke-on-Trent Central 1 
			 Streatham 2 
			 Sunderland South 1 
			 Swansea West 1 
			 Tyne Bridge 3 
			 Wakefield 1 
			 Warley 1 
			 Warwick and Lemington 1 
			 West Ham 1 
			 Windsor 1 
			 Wolverhampton South East 1 
			 Worcester 1

Burial

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many welfare burials there were in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The data requested are not held centrally.

Convictions: Hunting Act 2004

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prosecutions,  (b) convictions and  (c) cautions there have been for each offence under the Hunting Act 2004 in each year since the Act came into force.

Claire Ward: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts, and the number of offenders cautioned, in England and Wales for offences under the Hunting Act 2004, from 2005 to 2008 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	Cautions and court proceedings data for 2009 are planned to be published in the autumn, 2010.
	
		
			  The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts, and the number of offenders cautioned( 1, 2)  for offences under the Hunting Act 2004( 3) , England and Wales, 2005 to 2008( 4, 5, 6) 
			  Offence description  Year  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Cautioned 
			 Hunting a wild mammal with a dog - sections 1 and 6 2005 2 2 1 
			  2006 10 4 - 
			  2007 57 44 8 
			  2008 41 31 4 
			  
			 Knowingly permitting land to be entered or used in the course of hunting a wild mammal with dogs-sections 3(1) and 6 2005 - - - 
			  2006 - - - 
			  2007 1 - - 
			  2008 - - - 
			  
			 Knowingly permitting a dog to be used in the course of hunting a wild mammal-section 3(2) and 6 2005 - - - 
			  2006 1 1 - 
			  2007 - - - 
			  2008 - - - 
			  
			 Participating in a hare coursing event - sections 5(1)(a) and 6 2005 - - - 
			  2006 - - - 
			  2007 - - - 
			  2008 1 - - 
			  
			 Attending a hare coursing event - sections 5(1)(b) and 6 2005 - - - 
			  2006 - - - 
			  2007 - - - 
			  2008 2 2 - 
			  
			  
			 Permitting a dog to participate in a hare coursing event-section 5(2) 2005 - - - 
			  2006 - - - 
			  2007 4 4 - 
			  2008 - - - 
			  
			 All offences 2005 2 2 1 
			  2006 11 5 - 
			  2007 62 48 8 
			  2008 44 33 4 
			 (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) Came into force on 18 February 2005. (4) The court proceedings statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (5) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (6) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice

Convictions

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) adults and  (b) juveniles in each constituency were convicted of (i) violence against the person, (ii) sexual offences, (iii) robbery, (iv) burglary and (v) theft in each year between 2005 and 2008.

Claire Ward: The following table shows the number of defendants found guilty at all courts for violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary and theft and handling stolen goods, by age group and police force area, England and Wales, from 2005 to 2008.
	Court proceedings data are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
	
		
			  The number of persons found guilty at all courts for selected offences, by age group and police force area, England and Wales, 2005 - 08( 1,)( )( 2,)( )( 3) 
			Age 10-17  Age 18 and over 
			  Police force area  Offence type  2005  2006  2007  2008  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Avon and Somerset Violence against the person 147 159 169 162 770 758 762 794 
			  Sexual offences 11 11 16 11 83 89 97 99 
			  Burglary 132 131 147 138 488 426 434 523 
			  Robbery 53 51 59 60 87 97 105 114 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 308 357 387 345 2,191 2,107 2,428 2,737 
			  Sub-total 651 709 778 716 3,619 3,477 3,826 4,267 
			   
			 Bedfordshire Violence against the person 62 63 64 81 307 303 298 315 
			  Sexual offences 6 3 4 4 39 35 41 34 
			  Burglary 85 89 72 61 176 158 156 186 
			  Robbery 61 62 55 60 44 53 54 63 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 175 129 153 97 1,208 896 940 922 
			  Sub-total 389 346 348 303 1,774 1,445 1,489 1,520 
			   
			 Cambridgeshire Violence against the person 115 70 84 82 398 388 389 427 
			  Sexual offences 11 7 8 6 51 67 40 76 
			  Burglary 73 61 84 53 203 179 195 219 
			  Robbery 23 20 36 23 47 25 46 52 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 212 202 203 180 1,076 1,084 1,016 1,329 
			  Sub-total 434 360 415 344 1,775 1,743 1,686 2,103 
			   
			 Cheshire Violence against the person 159 205 179 130 629 678 740 627 
			  Sexual offences 12 16 9 13 80 89 84 101 
			  Burglary 154 113 106 94 293 277 319 339 
			  Robbery 34 32 26 30 35 72 75 69 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 284 308 265 235 1,247 1,426 1,631 1,769 
			  Sub-total 643 674 585 502 2,284 2,542 2,849 2,905 
			   
			 City of London Violence against the person - - - - 43 34 23 40 
			  Sexual offences - - - - 5 5 3 4 
			  Burglary - - - - 29 17 11 18 
			  Robbery - - - - 2 5 - 3 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 1 1 - - 322 282 332 367 
			  Sub-total 1 1 - - 401 343 369 432 
			   
			 Cleveland Violence against the person 83 123 114 119 486 597 579 576 
			  Sexual offences 6 13 6 9 43 74 56 68 
			  Burglary 90 105 113 84 342 353 393 435 
			  Robbery 21 17 16 19 46 48 35 70 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 257 271 320 344 1,458 1,419 1,658 2,153 
			  Sub-total 457 529 569 575 2,375 2,491 2,721 3,302 
			   
			 Cumbria Violence against the person 101 110 81 89 442 382 377 395 
			  Sexual offences 9 6 4 5 46 38 46 39 
			  Burglary 64 63 89 65 150 146 135 172 
			  Robbery 6 1 4 3 11 7 12 15 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 221 226 214 200 868 786 857 944 
			  Sub-total 401 406 392 362 1,517 1,359 1,427 1,565 
			   
			 Derbyshire Violence against the person 191 132 176 134 711 539 591 518 
			  Sexual offences 13 12 7 12 79 146 122 93 
			  Burglary 76 91 114 93 311 265 318 277 
			  Robbery 33 50 40 36 56 45 69 83 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 255 275 314 270 1,372 1,131 1,201 1,403 
			  Sub-total 568 560 651 545 2,529 2,126 2,301 2,374 
			   
			 Devon and Cornwall Violence against the person 142 115 115 139 770 699 648 652 
			  Sexual offences 12 2 10 14 101 109 112 117 
			  Burglary 91 101 131 89 330 278 336 394 
			  Robbery 21 22 26 18 49 45 51 45 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 411 314 385 329 1,535 1,341 1,386 1,682 
			  Sub-total 677 554 667 589 2,785 2,472 2,533 2,890 
			   
			 Dorset Violence against the person 79 77 68 52 369 329 310 282 
			  Sexual offences 4 4 2 5 51 52 40 61 
			  Burglary 38 41 50 28 196 141 160 158 
			  Robbery 7 15 6 9 23 25 22 28 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 188 180 179 160 1,061 835 877 982 
			  Sub-total 316 317 305 254 1,700 1,382 1,409 1,511 
			   
			 Durham Violence against the person 132 150 146 117 526 548 566 522 
			  Sexual offences 11 14 4 8 59 52 57 67 
			  Burglary 112 79 103 59 248 211 271 266 
			  Robbery 1 8 21 10 17 32 31 42 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 229 218 258 198 925 884 1,017 991 
			  Sub-total 485 469 532 392 1,775 1,727 1,942 1,888 
			   
			 Essex Violence against the person 178 170 173 170 654 638 740 700 
			  Sexual offences 6 6 5 9 95 83 76 100 
			  Burglary 172 189 176 129 350 311 374 332 
			  Robbery 43 54 60 49 88 72 85 81 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 520 527 578 536 2,213 2,164 2,399 2,381 
			  Sub-total 919 946 992 893 3,400 3,268 3,674 3,594 
			   
			 Gloucestershire Violence against the person 71 62 57 56 296 284 207 303 
			  Sexual offences 4 3 6 4 50 60 44 39 
			  Burglary 26 53 52 39 185 121 118 197 
			  Robbery 16 34 16 8 22 32 48 41 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 155 170 199 167 972 664 640 1,064 
			  Sub-total 272 322 330 274 1,525 1,161 1,057 1,644 
			   
			 Greater Manchester Violence against the person 572 522 526 487 2,274 2,539 2,540 2,262 
			  Sexual offences 39 29 34 29 253 274 284 293 
			  Burglary 505 516 437 451 1,211 1,303 1,316 1,325 
			  Robbery 272 298 320 245 400 448 420 436 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 1,283 1,021 1,195 1,011 5,993 5,948 6,079 6,129 
			  Sub-total 2,671 2,386 2,512 2,223 10,131 10,512 10,639 10,445 
			   
			 Hampshire Violence against the person 261 248 276 269 1,052 1,096 1,039 1,097 
			  Sexual offences 15 18 22 23 146 136 143 164 
			  Burglary 192 237 195 211 409 390 372 407 
			  Robbery 39 74 61 43 92 82 88 93 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 839 725 822 708 2,516 2,053 2,386 2,997 
			  Sub-total 1,346 1,302 1,376 1,254 4,215 3,757 4,028 4,758 
			   
			 Hertfordshire Violence against the person 146 111 116 85 537 468 403 397 
			  Sexual offences 2 7 10 6 75 66 77 57 
			  Burglary 81 106 87 64 206 217 211 234 
			  Robbery 50 54 26 50 48 75 71 74 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 323 288 271 261 1,402 1,225 1,202 1,283 
			  Sub-total 602 566 510 466 2,268 2,051 1,964 2,045 
			   
			 Humberside Violence against the person 142 161 176 156 659 693 777 703 
			  Sexual offences 16 13 15 9 100 96 89 99 
			  Burglary 167 160 161 137 389 372 397 401 
			  Robbery 33 39 39 35 47 73 70 98 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 402 309 407 379 1,700 1,269 1,399 1,441 
			  Sub-total 760 682 798 716 2,895 2,503 2,732 2,742 
			   
			 Kent Violence against the person 148 144 125 152 575 623 655 760 
			  Sexual offences 6 3 2 11 97 83 108 153 
			  Burglary 155 175 177 143 403 360 462 470 
			  Robbery 34 36 59 39 62 81 87 91 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 540 470 588 471 2,325 1,851 1,801 1,833 
			  Sub-total 883 828 951 816 3,462 2,998 3,113 3,307 
			   
			 Lancashire Violence against the person 278 311 319 271 1,073 1,287 1,397 1,350 
			  Sexual offences 24 20 25 18 133 158 196 183 
			  Burglary 294 313 331 274 648 745 817 730 
			  Robbery 52 79 93 89 121 119 158 150 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 462 527 558 446 2,698 2,512 2,822 2,910 
			  Sub-total 1,110 1,250 1,326 1,098 4,673 4,821 5,390 5,323 
			   
			 Leicestershire Violence against the person 155 151 165 144 734 615 609 563 
			  Sexual offences 15 8 19 5 90 82 91 77 
			  Burglary 132 128 99 111 271 276 283 300 
			  Robbery 43 51 54 46 65 48 61 74 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 386 339 414 315 1,477 1,400 1,453 1,351 
			  Sub-total 731 677 751 621 2,637 2,421 2,497 2,365 
			   
			 Lincolnshire Violence against the person 66 44 59 52 300 358 351 373 
			  Sexual offences 5 5 6 3 60 54 53 49 
			  Burglary 63 36 49 46 175 174 177 185 
			  Robbery 2 9 8 4 17 21 14 25 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 125 141 146 139 954 1,021 1,013 1,243 
			  Sub-total 261 235 268 244 1,506 1,628 1,608 1,875 
			   
			 Merseyside Violence against the person 261 297 293 253 1,160 1,238 1,211 1,142 
			  Sexual offences 13 13 15 15 106 106 105 95 
			  Burglary 232 224 239 165 463 467 534 525 
			  Robbery 68 89 100 53 133 165 135 117 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 431 407 485 348 2,926 2,508 3,118 3,129 
			  Sub-total 1,005 1,030 1,132 834 4,788 4,484 5,103 5,008 
			   
			 Metropolitan Police Violence against the person 1,057 1,092 1,142 1,333 5,003 5,076 4,868 5,451 
			  Sexual offences 66 57 78 87 546 613 629 692 
			  Burglary 594 624 682 562 2,437 2,468 2,457 2,604 
			  Robbery 1,106 1,533 1,791 1,570 847 1,041 1,136 1,175 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 1,688 1,850 2,199 1,949 11,878 12,709 12,650 12,891 
			  Sub-total 4,511 5,156 5,892 5,501 20,711 21,907 21,740 22,813 
			   
			 Norfolk Violence against the person 58 69 55 76 365 401 360 344 
			  Sexual offences 11 5 8 11 70 71 91 83 
			  Burglary 39 57 53 49 177 160 165 178 
			  Robbery 4 9 5 10 29 27 41 39 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 170 197 204 204 1,183 1,320 1,215 1,214 
			  Sub-total 282 337 325 350 1,824 1,979 1,872 1,858 
			   
			 North Yorkshire Violence against the person 68 91 120 102 445 408 479 442 
			  Sexual offences 3 8 7 10 62 60 85 59 
			  Burglary 40 62 67 60 198 187 165 213 
			  Robbery 10 7 11 7 36 27 24 16 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 220 239 290 278 1,289 1,093 1,018 1,208 
			  Sub-total 341 407 495 457 2,030 1,775 1,771 1,938 
			   
			 Northamptonshire Violence against the person 40 35 45 64 329 290 271 359 
			  Sexual offences 3 - - 2 37 39 50 55 
			  Burglary 32 44 51 65 159 172 138 196 
			  Robbery 14 20 55 40 47 43 59 61 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 53 84 185 155 975 853 742 926 
			  Sub-total 142 183 336 326 1,547 1,397 1,260 1,597 
			   
			 Northumbria Violence against the person 308 233 309 313 1,072 1,109 1,218 1,133 
			  Sexual offences 14 14 21 15 121 139 136 130 
			  Burglary 165 205 190 161 510 555 625 615 
			  Robbery 46 43 48 38 115 124 126 95 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 647 634 812 737 3,073 3,171 3,583 3,805 
			  Sub-total 1,180 1,129 1,380 1,264 4,891 5,098 5,688 5,778 
			   
			 Nottinghamshire Violence against the person 152 163 181 150 685 692 673 633 
			  Sexual offences 17 7 16 10 99 97 104 91 
			  Burglary 213 210 192 170 422 447 450 537 
			  Robbery 118 86 84 63 105 114 69 128 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 398 367 317 295 2,030 1,835 1,933 2,088 
			  Sub-total 898 833 790 688 3,341 3,185 3,229 3,477 
			   
			 South Yorkshire Violence against the person 213 215 214 246 939 968 1,003 1,067 
			  Sexual offences 16 15 6 12 138 114 114 110 
			  Burglary 154 149 155 156 535 558 578 678 
			  Robbery 78 74 101 75 104 137 145 120 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 527 498 571 479 2,860 2,544 2,756 3,475 
			  Sub-total 988 951 1,047 968 4,576 4,321 4,596 5,450 
			   
			 Staffordshire Violence against the person 154 132 129 108 583 659 631 654 
			  Sexual offences 13 11 13 11 93 96 106 85 
			  Burglary 112 109 81 91 305 299 369 328 
			  Robbery 23 25 20 30 50 40 53 53 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 321 259 316 238 1,508 1,391 1,578 1,688 
			  Sub-total 623 536 559 478 2,539 2,485 2,737 2,808 
			   
			 Suffolk Violence against the person 102 109 86 62 383 462 396 352 
			  Sexual offences 8 9 5 7 65 64 58 54 
			  Burglary 99 84 88 58 149 148 160 131 
			  Robbery 12 16 24 27 30 25 20 28 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 322 315 252 176 885 833 886 829 
			  Sub-total 543 533 455 330 1,512 1,532 1,520 1,394 
			   
			 Surrey Violence against the person 57 70 59 44 216 256 287 293 
			  Sexual offences 3 2 1 3 34 50 51 57 
			  Burglary 47 57 48 44 178 153 161 151 
			  Robbery 28 31 19 18 46 64 65 35 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 174 172 194 171 775 690 810 976 
			  Sub-total 309 332 321 280 1,249 1,213 1,374 1,512 
			   
			 Sussex Violence against the person 160 168 208 163 620 680 709 732 
			  Sexual offences 14 15 17 9 80 107 129 116 
			  Burglary 127 129 128 114 336 337 328 314 
			  Robbery 43 43 38 31 58 63 82 86 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 557 510 543 517 1,843 1,764 1,919 2,171 
			  Sub-total 901 865 934 834 2,937 2,951 3,167 3,419 
			   
			 Thames Valley Violence against the person 183 191 191 158 862 957 918 931 
			  Sexual offences 7 16 15 13 147 147 144 131 
			  Burglary 184 172 183 149 501 477 491 532 
			  Robbery 60 72 73 94 143 117 141 148 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 552 539 593 504 2,629 2,568 2,674 2,885 
			  Sub-total 986 990 1,055 918 4,282 4,266 4,368 4,627 
			   
			 Warwickshire Violence against the person 46 62 46 53 243 264 256 247 
			  Sexual offences 2 4 6 2 28 29 26 34 
			  Burglary 41 44 35 50 130 103 115 137 
			  Robbery 21 21 11 6 33 49 38 35 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 107 135 142 121 460 576 574 636 
			  Sub-total 217 266 240 232 894 1,021 1,009 1,089 
			   
			 West Mercia Violence against the person 166 185 182 145 672 724 727 677 
			  Sexual offences 27 15 18 12 111 102 91 78 
			  Burglary 131 125 130 125 319 334 273 295 
			  Robbery 30 21 23 21 45 62 52 42 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 331 376 383 326 1,676 1,606 1,669 1,834 
			  Sub-total 685 722 736 629 2,823 2,828 2,812 2,926 
			   
			 West Midlands Violence against the person 416 514 477 452 2,111 2,334 2,133 2,096 
			  Sexual offences 38 35 29 30 257 268 287 274 
			  Burglary 288 283 296 253 1,016 1,126 1,152 1,138 
			  Robbery 335 367 358 355 431 449 483 460 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 827 938 994 841 5,563 5,869 6,528 6,865 
			  Sub-total 1,904 2,137 2,154 1,931 9,378 10,046 10,583 10,833 
			   
			 West Yorkshire Violence against the person 289 236 264 267 1,448 1,226 1,384 1,489 
			  Sexual offences 25 24 21 25 225 189 221 215 
			  Burglary 435 334 330 416 962 931 1,065 1,048 
			  Robbery 180 155 215 211 218 202 275 272 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 956 823 941 856 4,199 4,168 4,564 4,941 
			  Sub-total 1,885 1,572 1,771 1,775 7,052 6,716 7,509 7,965 
			   
			 Wiltshire Violence against the person 67 92 66 81 332 368 330 344 
			  Sexual offences 4 8 5 4 38 51 36 43 
			  Burglary 72 84 59 36 155 157 131 138 
			  Robbery 11 10 21 9 28 23 31 36 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 191 193 162 130 800 715 676 608 
			  Sub-total 345 387 313 260 1,353 1,314 1,204 1,169 
			   
			 Dyfed-Powys Violence against the person 55 45 57 34 307 305 309 224 
			  Sexual offences 3 1 6 2 34 20 24 23 
			  Burglary 42 54 57 52 105 109 127 159 
			  Robbery 1 9 6 3 9 11 7 19 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 124 111 105 131 504 474 471 496 
			  Sub-total 225 220 231 222 959 919 938 921 
			   
			 Gwent Violence against the person 89 92 101 63 396 474 465 368 
			  Sexual offences 9 5 3 7 57 51 56 35 
			  Burglary 73 99 86 67 200 207 204 184 
			  Robbery 13 14 13 12 28 21 12 23 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 176 175 174 163 775 834 857 870 
			  Sub-total 360 385 377 312 1,456 1,587 1,594 1,480 
			   
			 North Wales Violence against the person 100 112 94 91 504 565 558 526 
			  Sexual offences 4 5 5 11 50 47 55 68 
			  Burglary 81 72 62 71 194 211 205 245 
			  Robbery 10 11 13 6 13 26 26 21 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 214 162 172 190 884 748 860 1,050 
			  Sub-total 409 362 346 369 1,645 1,597 1,704 1,910 
			   
			 South Wales Violence against the person 159 189 172 173 1,221 1,032 1,085 981 
			  Sexual offences 27 23 34 15 120 101 75 117 
			  Burglary 139 159 146 132 445 462 542 553 
			  Robbery 24 39 61 63 77 69 92 101 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 497 358 330 354 2,487 2,134 2,112 2,471 
			  Sub-total 846 768 743 737 4,350 3,798 3,906 4,223 
			   
			 Total Violence against the person 7,428 7,520 7,679 7,378 33,501 34,344 34,272 34,141 
			  Sexual offences 554 492 543 517 4,254 4,409 4,532 4,618 
			  Burglary 6,042 6,167 6,131 5,415 16,909 16,788 17,690 18,467 
			  Robbery 3,079 3,701 4,115 3,618 4,004 4,404 4,714 4,857 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 17,059 16,340 18,220 15,954 86,715 82,701 87,730 94,967 
			 Total England and Wales  34,162 34,220 36,688 32,882 145,383 142,646 148,938 157,050 
			 (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice

Convictions: Badgers

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people have received custodial sentences which have not been suspended for offences under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 in each year since 2007; what the length of each such sentence was; on what dates such sentences were handed down; and how much has been received in fine payments for offences under the Act in each year since it came into effect;
	(2)  how many people have been  (a) proceeded against and  (b) convicted of offences under the provisions of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 in each year since 2007.

Claire Ward: The available information is provided in the following tables.
	Data for 2009 will be available when Sentencing Statistics 2009 is published later this year.
	The specific date when a sentence was passed cannot be provided as this would allow an individual to be easily identifiable which is contrary to the Ministry's data protection policy. Information has therefore been provided on the month sentence was passed. The total fine payment rate is not available for specific offences, but information has been provided on the number of fines and the total monetary value of fines imposed under the Protection of Badgers Act. The overall estimated fine payment rate for all financial penalties by financial year is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Payment rate-England and Wales (percentage) 
			 2003-04 74 
			 2004-05 80 
			 2005-06 83 
			 2006-07 92 
			 2007-08 95 
		
	
	Data on payment rates prior to April 2003 is not calculated in a comparable manner.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts for selected offences, England and Wales, 2007 and 2008( 1,2,3) 
			2007  2008( 3) 
			  Statute  Offence description  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Badgers Act 1973 as amended by Criminal Justice Act 1991 S.26 and Badgers Act 1991 S.1 Offences of cruelty to badgers and special protection for badgers and their setts 20 6 (4)1 22 11 (5)2 
			 Badgers (further protection) Act 1991 Failing to give up a dog for destruction or having custody of a dog while disqualified 10 5 0 14 11 0 
			 (1) The figures given relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (4) An immediate custodial sentence of four months passed in June. (5) One sentence of six months passed in March, one sentence of one month passed in December.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of fines and monetary value of fines imposed under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, 1992 to 2008 
			   1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999 
			 Number of fines issued 31 23 15 18 8 6 10 14 
			 Value of fines imposed (£)(1) 5,500 5,425 3,760 7,250 2,000 2,100 2,215 580 
		
	
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Number of fines issued 14 31 22 13 9 9 4 4 13 
			 Value of fines imposed (£)(1) 1,415 2,185 1,285 4,960 860 2,510 275 310 3,015 
			 (1) Due to changes in the way these figures have been extracted they may show small differences to previously released figures.  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 2. This data has been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. This data is presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.  Source: Justice Statistics-Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Crime Prevention: Females

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will continue funding after March 2011 for the one-stop shop women's community projects to prevent and reduce offending by women funded from the £15.6 million announced in February 2009.

Maria Eagle: Work is now well under way to sustain this approach. Directors of Offender Management (DOMs) are currently working to support the Women's Community Projects (WCPs) in their future sustainability efforts and to demonstrate their effectiveness at providing effective interventions for women offenders and women at risk of offending. DOMs, in conjunction with probation trust/boards, will have a lead role in ensuring appropriate commissioning and joint commissioning of services for women offenders to draw in the services of a range of local agencies. Every one of the DOMs new commissioning plans includes a focus on women and they now manage all of the contracts for the WCPs. New performance monitoring arrangements in place will also ensure that we continue to meet the specific needs of women in the criminal justice system.

Custodial Treatment: Females

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to ring fence savings from a reduction in custodial capacity for women to support women's community provision; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: In December 2009 the Government committed to reduce the women's prison estate by 400 places by March 2012 and to divert resources from custody to the community to help sustain the multi-agency Women's Community Projects (WCPs) and other community provision established through grant funding. Subject to a sustained reduction in the women's prison population and evidence of the impact of the WCPs the National Offender Management Service has agreed to release funding that will be used by the directors of Offender Management to help sustain existing provision and to continue to develop a network of community provision which meets the needs of women offenders and women at risk of offending.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: North West

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prosecutions were brought and  (b) convictions were secured for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each local authority area in the North West in (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009.

Claire Ward: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, in the North West Government office region, by police force area, in 2008 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	Court proceedings data are not available at local authority area level.
	Court data for 2009 are planned for publication in autumn 2010.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in the North West Government office region, by police force area, 2008( 1, 2) 
			  Police force area  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Cheshire 19 14 
			 Cumbria 16 10 
			 Greater Manchester 46 34 
			 Lancashire 40 28 
			 Merseyside 51 43 
			 Total North West region 172 129 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services: Ministry of Justice.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its agencies have spent on rooms for staff leisure in each of the last five years.

Michael Wills: The Ministry Justice does not hold a central record of leisure room facilities across its estate. Details of these can be obtained only by contacting each area of the Department and it's agencies individually which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department provides subsidised gym facilities for its staff.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice does not provide subsidised gym facilities for its staff. A small number of workplace gyms are available to departmental staff but their running costs are met entirely by unsubsidised membership fees. Gym contracts are run either by an external provider or by a committee of staff members.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Michael Wills: Interior design is included within the total office refurbishment scheme costs across the Ministry of Justice estate and could only be made available at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what  (a) voltage optimisers and  (b) equivalent technologies are used within buildings occupied by his Department.

Michael Wills: The following table shows how many voltage optimisation units and equivalent technologies are used within buildings occupied by the Ministry of Justice.
	
		
			   Number of voltage optimisation units and equivalent technologies 
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 1 voltage optimisation unit 
			 National Offender Management Service 5 voltage optimisation units and equivalent technologies installed 
			 Her Majesty's Court Service 39 voltage optimisation units and equivalent technologies installed in various buildings across its estate 
			 Tribunals Service 1 unit currently installed across its estate 
			 Her Majesty's Land Registry 22 voltage optimisation units and equivalent technologies installed 
			 National Archives 4 voltage optimisation units and equivalent technologies installed 
			 Total 72

Departmental Information Officers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to his Department was of employing press and media officers in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department was of employing such staff in the financial year 1996-97, expressed in current prices.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice press office operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, dealing with all media relations for the Department and its agencies from the international, national and regional media. Communications in all its forms is an important element of ensuring that the public know and understand the work of the Ministry of Justice and its agencies and how taxpayers' money is being spent.
	Information relating to the Lord Chancellors' Department (the Ministry of Justice's last but one predecessor) could be retrieved only at disproportionate cost.
	 Press officers
	The cost of press officers, including contractors and agency staff and excluding support staff, is as follows:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2008:09 2,219 
		
	
	 Communications officers
	Media officers are interpreted as communications officers in this answer. They include intranet/internet staff, event organisation, marketing and publishing staff and others involved in communications roles. Expenditure, including contractors and agency staff within the head office team, is as follows:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2008:09 4,694 
		
	
	The costs of press officers and communications officers relate to Ministry of Justice headquarters and its four executive agencies (HM Courts Service, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), the Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian).

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints his Department received regarding difficulties using its website in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: No formal complaints in relation to the Ministry of Justice website have been received in the last three years. However users are invited to help the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to maintain the quality of the website by providing comments and suggestions for improvement. All comments received are investigated and actioned as part of MoJ's ongoing programme of website maintenance and support. Numerical records for comments received are not held centrally and it would not be possible to collect this information from previous years except at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Internet

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on external website design consultants in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: Expenditure on external website design consultants in each of the last three years for the departmental website-www.justice.gov.uk-was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 30,960 
			 2008-09 37,409 
			 2009-10 8,250 
		
	
	These figures include costs for website design changes. External maintenance, content management and training costs for in-house staff are not included. The majority of work done to support and develop the Department's external website is carried out by in-house staff, who manage the website content and also the design, testing and implementation of improvements to the website on an ongoing basis.
	As there is more use of the internet for Government services, we need to make information about the work of the Department more readily available to citizens and the media, enhancing transparency and accountability for what we do. All our internet users-who include legal practitioners, academics and researchers-are able to use the range of resources published on our website either to work more efficiently within the justice system or to engage with the Department's day-to-day work and to contribute to our published consultations on proposals for change. Our investment in web services aims to enhance the user experience, providing easier access to MoJ information and services and delivering in a way that meets audience needs.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department, its predecessor and its agencies spent on promotional items carrying the Department's branding and logo in the last five years; and what those items were.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice was established on 9 May 2007. Prior to 2007-08, the information requested can be extracted from predecessor departments only at disproportionate cost.
	Expenditure on branded promotional items in the last two years is shown as follows:
	
		
			  Ministry of Justice headquarters 
			  Calendar year  Item  Cost (£)( 1) 
			  2008 Mouse Mats 1,901 
			  Pens 1,783 
			  Leaflets 15,654 
			  Banners and Stands 2,444 
			  Letterheads, complement slips 556 
			  Posters 6,412 
			  Lanyards 1,888 
			  Mugs 1,163 
			  Polo Shirts 708 
			  Total 32,509 
			
			  2009 Pens 409 
			  Leaflets 6,188 
			  Banners and Stands 2,829 
			  Posters 4,386 
			  Post-it Notes 409 
			  Letterheads, complement slips 483 
			  Lanyards 753 
			  Glass Awards 778 
			  Table Cloth 280 
			  Polo Shirts 921 
			  Total 17,436 
			 (1) These figures are exclusive of VAT. 
		
	
	The largest item of expenditure was on leaflets to explain to the public the functions and services delivered by the Ministry of Justice as a new Department of State.
	
		
			  Her Majesty's Court Service 
			  Financial Year  Item  Cost (£)( 1) 
			  2007-08 Key rings 2,753 
			  Pens 1,571 
			  Mouse Mats 715 
			  Probate Balloons 583 
			  Puzzles 825 
			  Total 6,447 
			
			  2008-09 Key rings 2,797 
			  Pens 6,004 
			  Marketing Materials-pens, pads and pencils 725 
			  Mouse Mats 2,420 
			  Total 11,946 
			 (1) These figures are exclusive of VAT. 
		
	
	In 2007-08 HMCS purchased branded trophies for the HMCS Awards at a cost of £414.68 (exclusive of VAT).
	
		
			  Office of the Public Guardian 
			  Item  Cost (£)( 1) 
			 Banners and Stands 432 
			 1,200 Launch Leaflets 253 
			 Recycled pens 3,183 
			 Trio Highlighters 2,553 
			 Post-it Note pads 2,055 
			 Recycled Mouse pads 927 
			 Mint Cards 638 
			 Bags 2,138 
			 Mental Capacity Act DVDs 1,003 
			 DVD production 14,950 
			 Forms and guidance CDs 12,410 
			 Who would look after your finances? leaflet 2,086 
			 Sundry other items 1,081 
			 Total 43,709 
			 (1 )These figure are exclusive of VAT 
		
	
	All of the above expenditure was incurred when the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) was created on 1 October 2007 as a result of the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The purpose of the promotional items was to raise public awareness of the Office of the Public Guardian and its new responsibilities. DVDs and CDs were distributed to OPG customers from October 2007 until stocks ran out in 2009 (CDs) and early 2010 (DVDs). Banners ordered for the launch of the OPG have subsequently been used at exhibit opportunities from 2007 to date, together with other leftover items.  Tribunal Service
	In 2007-08 the Tribunal Service purchased 2,000 eco-friendly cotton bags for £2,241 (exclusive of VAT). There was no promotional spend in 2008-09.
	 National Offenders Management Service
	The National Offenders Management Service (NOMS) accounting system does not enable expenditure on promotional items to be identified separately from other office supplies and stationery expenditure. Promotional expenditure could only be identified by circularising local NOMS business units, including 134 prisons and 42 local probation boards and trusts, who would be required to examine their local records to identify relevant expenditure, this would incur disproportionate cost.

Electoral Systems

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has made a recent estimate of the cost of holding a general election using  (a) the existing electoral system and  (b) the alternative vote system.

Michael Wills: The Government have now made the Parliamentary Elections (Returning Officers' Charges) Order 2010. From the information set out in that order it can be estimated that in Great Britain if the forthcoming general election is held on 6 May 2010 and therefore combined with other elections to be held on that day, the cost of the conduct of the poll would be £82.1 million; if it is held at any other time, the cost of the conduct of the poll would be £89.6 million.
	We have not carried out a detailed assessment of the possible cost of conducting a general election under the alternative vote system. However, the features of a general election using the alternative vote system would broadly be the same as under the existing system: for example, in terms of the provision of ballot papers and polling stations. The count process might take longer in some cases, where no candidate wins outright on the first round; however, recounts may already extend the time taken to count under the existing system.

Employment Tribunals Service: Rules of Procedure

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when revised court civil procedure rules relating to unpaid employment tribunal awards will come into effect.

Bridget Prentice: The revised civil procedure rules relating to unpaid employment tribunal awards are due to come into effect on 6 April 2010.

Funerals: Local Authorities

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate has been made of the number of funerals which were carried out by local authorities in the last 12 months.

Bridget Prentice: We have not made any such estimate, the information is not held centrally.

General Election 2010: Isle of Wight

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of transporting election literature for Freepost delivery from the Isle of Wight to Portsmouth; and what requirements there are on candidates to declare the cost of delivering election literature.

Michael Wills: Under section 91 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (the 1983 Act), candidates at parliamentary elections are entitled to send free of charge for postage either one election communication to each elector, or one to each household, in the constituency in which they are standing, subject to any reasonable terms and conditions specified by the universal service provider (the Royal Mail). The cost of the delivery of candidates' election communications to UK addresses by the universal service provider is met by the Consolidated Fund. The Government have made no estimate of the cost of transporting election literature from one location to another for onward delivery by the universal service provider under the provisions of the 1983 Act, since these costs are not met from the Consolidated Fund.
	Under the provisions of the 1983 Act, within 35 days after the day on which the result of the election is declared, the election agent of every candidate is required to deliver to the appropriate officer a statement of election expenses incurred by or on behalf of the candidate. Election expenses are those which are used for the purposes of the candidate's election and are incurred in respect of matters listed in Part 1 of schedule 4A of the 1983 Act. Under that schedule, expenses in respect of unsolicited material addressed to electors include design costs and other costs in connection with preparing, producing or distributing such material.

HM Courts Service: Debt Collection

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court enforcement officers HM Courts Service have employed in each financial year since April 2005.

Bridget Prentice: The number of court enforcement officers employed by HM Courts Service in each financial year is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Total 
			 2005 561 
			 2006 575 
			 2007 541 
			 2008 492 
			 2009 497

HM Courts Service: Debt Collection

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court enforcement officers HM Courts Service employed in each HM Court Service region in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007,  (d) 2008 and  (e) 2009.

Bridget Prentice: The number of court enforcement officers employed by HM Courts Service by regions between 2005-09 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Region  (a) 2005  (b) 2006  (c) 2007  (d) 2008  (e) 2009 
			 London Region 98 95 87 78 71 
			 Midlands Region 104 108 103 101 99 
			 North East Region 109 118 113 105 94 
			 North West Region 82 81 92 90 85 
			 South East Region 56 53 51 45 42 
			 South West Region 52 55 42 36 61 
			 Wales Region 60 65 53 37 45 
			 Total 561 575 541 492 497

House of Lords: Reform

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the annual running cost of an elected second chamber of  (a) 435 and  (b) 300 members; and what the estimated cost of transitional arrangements would be in each case.

Michael Wills: The overall cost of a reformed second chamber is subject to a number of variables. As set out in the 2008 White Paper, the Government's intention is to ensure that the cost of a reformed second chamber is maintained at the current or at a lower level.
	The extra support costs which full-time elected members might require will be offset by the fact that with fewer members, the reformed second chamber will be smaller than the current House of Lords. The exact cost of the reformed second chamber will depend on the pay and allowances of Members.

Housing: Sales

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many residential property transactions there were in each local authority area in England in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Michael Wills: Land Registry is able to provide information based on the total number of residential properties sold at full value(1) for 2009. The figures cover each local authority in England and Wales. The information has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	(1) Full value = residential property transactions where the full price has been paid. The figures exclude a number of transactions including Right to Buy sales at a discount, properties sold by way of a gift and properties sold under a compulsory purchase or court order.

Human Trafficking: Convictions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) British and  (b) non-British citizens have been (i) convicted and (ii) imprisoned in relation to human trafficking offences in each year since 1998.

Alan Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	The offences of trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labour were introduced under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Act 2004.
	From the commencement of these Acts until the end of 2008 there were a total of 113 convictions resulting in 110 terms of imprisonment. Of those convicted and imprisoned up to the end of 2008, six were British citizens and 107 non-British citizens.
	The statistics broken down by year of sentence are as follows:
	
		
			   Total  British National  Foreign National 
			 2004 3 0 3 
			 2005 21 1 20 
			 2006 29 1 28 
			 2007 22 1 21 
			 2008 38 3 35 
		
	
	Figures for the full year of 2009 are not yet available.

Legal Aid: Gurkhas

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much the Legal Services Commission has paid to  (a) Howe and Company and  (b) each other company in respect of legal aid for ex-Gurkhas wishing to settle in the UK; [R]
	(2)  how many ex-Gurkhas had been granted legal aid in respect of their application to settle in the UK on the latest date for which figures are available. [R]

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much legal aid has been paid to Howe and Co. for the provision of immigration advice to former Gurkha soldiers;
	(2)  how much on average has been paid in legal aid for each case in which Howe and Co. has represented former Gurkha soldiers.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission records the number of claims from providers for immigration cases but not in greater detail. There is therefore no record of the number of ex-Gurkhas granted legal aid in respect of their application to settle in the UK or the legal aid costs involved in their application.
	However immigration entry clearance applications funded through legal aid are paid at a fixed fee of £260 plus any disbursements, unless they are exceptional. In the last two years Howe and Co. have made claims for 52 cases that include applications for entry clearance. As stated above it is not possible to confirm how many of these relate to ex-Gurkhas.

Legal Aid: Gurkhas

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy to monitor the standard of legal advice provided to ex-Gurkhas by  (a) the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organisation and  (b) Howe and Company. [R]

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission is responsible for monitoring the standard of publicly funded legal advice provided under the legal aid scheme by contracted suppliers. This includes strict contract quality standards, audit and peer review. The firm Howe and Co. holds a contract with the Legal Services Commission and would be expected to comply with requirements administered by the Law Society to ensure all advisers doing publicly funded work are properly accredited. The Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organisation based in Nepal does not provide publicly funded legal advice.

Legal Aid: Gurkhas

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Legal Services Commission on the provision of legal aid to firms representing former Gurkha soldiers.

Bridget Prentice: Lord Bach the Minister responsible for Legal Aid in England and Wales met Legal Services Commission (LSC) officials on this subject on 10 and 25 March 2010. LSC officials interviewed staff from Howe and Co. to ensure that the firm has acted in accordance with the terms of its contract and the provisions of the Funding Code.

Local Inmate Data System IT system

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the Local Inmate Data System IT system was introduced for prisons in England and Wales; and whether his Department plans to upgrade or replace the system.

Maria Eagle: The Prison Service Local Inmate Database System (LIDS) was introduced in 1989. It is being replaced by a new case management system, called Prison-NOMIS (Prison-National Offender Management Information System). Prison-NOMIS is a national system with a centralised database. It is on schedule to be deployed to public prisons by summer 2010.

National Offender Management Service: Manpower

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people were employed by each director of offender management within the National Offender Management Service on the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many staff were employed in  (a) Prison Service area offices and  (b) Regional Offender Management offices on 1 January 2008;
	(3)  how many people were employed in the National Offender Management Service head office and regional offices at 31 December in each year from 2004 to 2009.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to answer I gave the hon. Member for Walthamstow (Mr. Gerrard) on 9 March 2010,  Official Report, column 246-48W. Information on the number of staff employed in Regional Offender Management Offices in January 2008 is not available. At that time the staff reported to the Home Office but the records are no longer available and would require a substantial reactivation exercise that would entail disproportionate cost, to obtain.
	The closest available data relates to October 2008, when there were 451 staff in Prison Service area offices and 119 staff in Regional Offender Management offices.
	The number of staff employed within each office is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Staff employed within Director of Offender Management Offices, 31 December 2009 
			  Region  Staff-employed  Staff declared surplus( 1)  Vacancies 
			 East Midlands 53 2 8 
			 East of England 50 1 14 
			 London 32 6 13 
			 North East 40 5 2 
			 North West 81 19 12 
			 South East 98 8 23 
			 South West 31 8 14 
			 Wales 26 0 12 
			 West Midlands 38 6 13 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 35 6 3 
			 Total 483 61 114 
			 (1) Staff declared surplus are also included in the 'Staff employed' column. 
		
	
	The process of change in the NOMS organisations in the nine English regions and Wales in 2009, covered 576 jobs and the new structure, which is now in place, has reduced this number by 180 to 396.
	The information for the national headquarters does not include staff reporting through the NOMS Shared Service Centre or area service teams who are based in prisons but organised on a regional basis.
	
		
			  Regional and National headquarters 31 December 2004 to 2009 
			   Region  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Area/Regional Office East Midlands 37 54 61 56 62 53 
			  East of England 34 44 47 44 56 50 
			  London 25 28 30 28 37 32 
			  North East 20 28 38 38 41 40 
			  North West 126 182 210 205 80 81 
			  South East 125 143 127 116 121 98 
			  South west r32 36 34 26 25 31 
			  Wales 13 16 19 18 27 26 
			  West Midlands 49 48 54 42 34 38 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 39 48 55 29 35 35 
			 
			 Area/Regional Office Total  501 627 675 602 518 483 
			 
			 National Headquarters(1)  1906 1351 1398 1297 2207 2188 
			 (1) In 2005 a large number of staff transferred to the original NOMS headquarters, which was part of the core Home Office. The staff transferred back in 2008 when NOMS HQ was formed. These staff are not included in the table for the period when they were part of the core Home Office.

Polling Stations

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons the provisions of the Electoral Administration Act 2005 on signing at polling stations have not been commenced.

Michael Wills: The Government have not yet concluded how this measure could most effectively be implemented. We must ensure, however, that any approach to this issue is aligned with other reforms to the registration and electoral processes.

Prison Service: Pensions

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether long-term state pension costs of retired staff are taken into account when calculating the cost of a prison place in England and Wales.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow (Mr. Gerrard) on 9 March 2010,  Official R eport, column 248W.

Prison Service: Uniforms

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what protective equipment and clothing is issued to prison staff.

Maria Eagle: The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires employers to carry out an assessment of the significant risks to which staff are exposed and to implement control measures effectively to manage the risks. Control measures may include provision of personal protective equipment. The range and type of equipment provided will depend on the risk.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) carries out risk assessments for the different duties staff conduct. In the case of staff working in Prisons, a variety of personal protection equipment and clothing is provided, dependant on the situation and duties staff are conducting. Types of safety equipment made available to staff would include safety footwear, gloves, overalls, high visibility jackets, hard hats and protection in the event of cold weather and for the head, eyes, hearing and respiratory system.
	Control and restraint equipment and clothing such as helmets, shields, fire resistant overalls and leg protectors are also available to specially trained prison officers. Batons are carried by staff trained in their use in those prisons in which their deployment has been approved. Vests which offer ballistic protection, including protection against knives, are provided to a range of prison staff in circumstances where particular risks exist including some local and national control and restraint operations and some operations involving specialist interventions.

Prisoners

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any prisoners have been charged with the offence of corrupting a public official during the last 12 months.

Claire Ward: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) on 4 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1346W.

Prisons

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the level of serious organised crime involving drug trafficking in prisons in England and Wales;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of serious organised crime activities being carried out in prisons in England and Wales.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 5 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1470W.
	Covert criminal activity is, of its nature, very difficult to quantify. Prisons have a well established security information reporting framework. Where concerns are identified about a prisoner's potential criminal activity, prisons can draw on a range of measures to identify and disrupt that activity.
	The National Offender Management Service is also fully engaged in action to address serious and organised crime strategically, including the work identified in the Government report Extending Our Reach: A Comprehensive Approach to Tackling Serious Organised Crime to develop a strategy to manage serious organised criminals whilst in prison.

Prisons: Mobile Phones

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of illicit mobile telephones in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last 12 months; how many of those telephones were found in the possession of  (a) staff and  (b) prisoners; and how many were found in communal areas in each such month.

Maria Eagle: The Government are committed to reducing the number of mobile phones in prisons. We have already strengthened the law through the Offender Management Act 2007, which made it an offence with a penalty of up to two years' imprisonment to bring a mobile phone or component into a prison. We are also taking forward legislation through the Crime and Security Bill to criminalise. the possession of devices, including mobile telephones within a prison without authorisation.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) does not hold centrally disaggregated information on the location or ownership of phones seized. Many phones and component parts are not attributable to individuals. Prisons in England and Wales are instructed to send mobile phones and SIM cards found to a central unit for analysis, it is from this unit's records that this answer is based The figures contained in the tables have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing data, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. These data are not subject to audit.
	The figures understate the actual number of finds, because they do not include items retained by the police for evidential purposes and phones not submitted for other reasons. It is not always appropriate to send phones to the central unit and some phones sent are not interrogated. These have not been included in these figures. NOMS is putting in place new procedures to improve the accuracy of these statistics.
	Tackling mobile phones in prison presents substantial and increasing technological challenges, and while the numbers of phones found clearly indicates the scale of the challenge, it is also a reflection of prisons' increasing success in finding them and better reporting. The following table shows the number of mobile phones and SIM cards that have been received from each of the prisons over the last 12 months.
	
		
			  Mobile phone and SIM cards submitted to central unit (March 2009-February 2010) 
			   Mar ch  Apr il  May  Jun e  July  Aug ust  Sep tember 
			   M  S  M  S  M  S  M  S  M  S  M  S  M  S 
			  High Security   
			 Belmarsh 1 - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - 
			 Full Sutton - 1 - - - 2 - - - - - - - - 
			 Frankland - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Long Lartin 1 1 - - 1 2 1 2 - 3 - - 1 1 
			 Manchester 3 3 8 6 12 15 1 1 5 4 1 2 5 1 
			 Wakefield - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Woodhill - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Whitemoor 2 2 - - 1 1 - 2 - - 1 1 - - 
			 Total 7 7 8 6 14 20 2 5 5 7 2 4 6 2 
			
			  London   
			 Brixton - - 25 23 1 1 7 6 3 2 - - 2 2 
			 Feltham 14 13 10 12 14 11 10 12 3 2 7 9 3 5 
			 Holloway - - - - - - 3 4 - - - 1 1 1 
			 Latchmere House - - - - 1 - 4 2 - - 1 - 2 - 
			 Pentonville - - 1 1 17 15 17 10 10 14 15 13 10 11 
			 Wandsworth 8 7 9 12 - - - - 21 19 - 4 - - 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 8 7 14 9 8 12 8 6 5 6 13 11 12 15 
			 Total 30 27 59 57 41 39 49 40 42 43 36 38 30 34 
			
			  Wales   
			 Cardiff 2 2 1 1 1 1 3 4 3 2 3 3 1 1 
			 Swansea 1 2 3 3 - - 4 5 1 1 5 3 6 5 
			 Usk/Prescoed - - 2 1 1 1 - - - - 1 - - - 
			 Parc - - - - 1 3 4 4 1 - 1 1 1 2 
			 Total 3 4 6 5 3 5 11 13 5 3 10 7 8 8 
			
			  South East   
			 Albany - - 1 1 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Aylesbury 1 2 2 6 1 2 2 2 12 11 - - 8 7 
			 Blantyre House - - - - 1 - - - 3 - 2 2 - - 
			 Bronzefield 3 4 - - - - - - 3 4 3 4 4 4 
			 Bullingdon 4 3 2 2 4 5 4 2 - 1 1 1 1 - 
			 Camp Hill - - - - - - 1 - - - 2 3 - - 
			 Canterbury 1 1 - - 1 1 3 2 3 1 - - 2 1 
			 Coldingley - - - - - - 1 - - - 1 1 3 4 
			 Cookham Wood - - 2 2 - - - - 1 2 - - - - 
			 Dover - - 1 1 - - - - - - 8 5 2 - 
			 Downview 1 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 East Sutton Park - - - - - - 1 1 - - - - - - 
			 Elmley 3 5 5 2 6 6 4 4 - 1 1 2 4 7 
			 Ford 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 - - - - 
			 Grendon 1 1 18 9 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Haslar - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Highdown 16 14 6 2 - - - - 5 4 5 4 4 3 
			 Huntercombe 1 2 - - 2 4 - - 1 1 2 2 - - 
			 Kingston - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Lewes - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Maidstone 2 2 - - - - 3 4 3 3 1 3 5 6 
			 Parkhurst 2 6 1 1 2 - 2 1 2 3 2 1 10 9 
			 Reading  2 - - 2 1 - - 2 2 2 4 1 - 
			 Rochester 5 6 - - - - - - - 3 - - - - 
			 Send - - - - 1 1 - - 2 3 - - - - 
			 Springhill - - - - 5 3 8 5 8 6 1 1 - 1 
			 Standford Hill 1 1 2 2 16 10 8 4 14 11 6 3 6 5 
			 Swaleside 2 3 4 4 6 7 6 10 10 9 9 8 4 5 
			 Winchester 3 2 1 3 - - - - 1 - - - 2 1 
			 Total 47 57 46 36 48 42 44 36 71 66 46 44 56 53 
			
			  South West   
			 Ashfield 1 2 - 1 6 6 1 1 - - 2 2 - - 
			 Bristol - - 3 3 10 8 6 6 7 9 3 3 2 2 
			 Channings Wood 6 6 4 4 2 7 3 3 1 2 5 5 - 6 
			 Dartmoor 8 6 1 1 9 8 3 3 4 5 3 1 3 1 
			 Dorchester - - 2 3 - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Eastwood Park - - 1 2 - - - - - - 4 6 1 1 
			 Erlestoke - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 
			 Exeter - - 1 - 4 7 1 1 3 1 1 1 2 4 
			 Gloucester 1 3 - - - - - - - - 1 1 3 3 
			 Guys Marsh - - 5 4 9 6 9 7 19 15 26 17 18 17 
			 Leyhill - - - - - - 1 2 6 8 10 5 - - 
			 Portland - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Shepton Mallet 2 3 - - 1 1 3 1 - - 1 1 1 2 
			 The Verne 3 3 1 2 5 4 3 2 3 2 - - 2 2 
			 Total 21 23 18 20 47 47 30 26 43 42 56 42 32 38 
			
			  East of England   
			 Bedford 4 2 - - 1 1 - - - 1 - - - 1 
			 Blundeston - 1 1 1 1 2 2 5 1 3 3 3 1 1 
			 Bullwood Hall - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 
			 Bure - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Chelmsford - - - - 2 1 2 1  3 - - - - 
			 Edmunds Hill 3 3 1 3 1 3 2 1 2 1 5 5 4 1 
			 Highpoint 6 3 3 3 5 5 1 1 3 6 2 4 1 3 
			 Hollesley Bay 9 6 3 1 6 5 1 - 2 3 15 8 5 4 
			 Littlehey 2 1 - - 1 - 1 - 1 3 - - - - 
			 The Mount 1 7 9 7 18 22 15 12 10 14 12 13 8 7 
			 Norwich 1 1 1 4 7 8 2 - 3 3 1 1 - - 
			 Peterborough 13 11 1 1 4 9 6 5 6 9 10 12 13 10 
			 Warren Hill - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Wayland 3 4 2 1 2 5 3 4 - 5 7 5 - - 
			 Total 42 39 21 21 48 61 35 29 28 51 55 51 33 28 
			
			  East Midlands   
			 Ashwell 5 3 2 2 - - 4 4 - 2 1 2 - 1 
			 Fosten Hall - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Gartree 1 1 - - - - - - 1 9 1 1 10 7 
			 Glen Parva 3 4 - - - - - - - - - - 1 2 
			 Leicester 1 1 3 2 5 4 7 6 7 10 6 5 2 3 
			 Lincoln 1 2 4 7 2 5 1 2 4 3 1 - 3 2 
			 Lowdham Grange - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Morton Hall 2 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 North Sea Camp 3 6 3 - - - 3 4 4 7 3 1 1 - 
			 Nottingham - 1 1 2 3 5 - 1 2 3 - - 3 3 
			 Onley 2 4 - - 1 - 2 - - - 1 1 1 1 
			 Ranby 4 4 1 - - - 4 5 3 2 - - 5 4 
			 Rye Hill 11 9 6 8 8 7 16 24 8 20 21 16 8 5 
			 Stocken - - 5 5 1 - 1 1 - - 2 2 1 1 
			 Sudbury - - - - - - - 1 - - - - 1 - 
			 Wellingborough 5 6 10 11 - 1 14 13 2 1 11 8 - 1 
			 Whatton - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Total 38 43 35 37 20 22 52 61 31 57 47 36 36 30 
			
			  West Midlands   
			 Birmingham 4 6 2 - 5 7 4 1 6 6 12 8 5 9 
			 Brinsford 1 4 1 1 3 3 2 2 8 7 6 4 1 1 
			 Dovegate - 2 1 2 - - - - - - 2 3 - - 
			 Drake Hall - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Featherstone 3 5 2 2 4 1 11 18 8 12 - 1 5 3 
			 Hewell 1 2 10 10 2 7 8 10 9 14 12 12 13 6 
			 Shrewsbury 1 - 1 - - - 1 1 - - 3 2 - - 
			 Stafford - - - 1 - - 1 - - 2 - - 2 - 
			 Stoke Heath 1 - 3 4 8 7 4 6 2 3 5 6 4 1 
			 Swinfen Hall 4 2 2 1 1 1 6 5 5 4 2 4 1 1 
			 Werrington - - - - - - 1 1 2 3 - - - - 
			 Total 15 21 22 21 23 26 38 44 40 51 42 40 31 21 
			
			  Yorkshire and Humberside   
			 Askham Grange - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Doncaster 1 1 - - - - 1 - - - - 1 2 2 
			 Everthorpe - - 12 11 - - 16 15 9 5 10 11 - - 
			 Hull 7 6 3 2 7 10 2 1 4 3 1 2 - - 
			 Leeds 10 11 3 7 4 1 7 7 2 1 2 - 5 11 
			 Lindholme - - 3 2 5 5 14 8 17 20 11 8 11 9 
			 Moorland open 4 2 2 5 1 - - - - 1 2 1 1 3 
			 Moorland closed 4 3 1 3 2 2 3 3 - - 2 2 6 7 
			 New Hall - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Northallerton - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Wealstun 6 7 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 5 - - 4 5 
			 Wetherby - - - - - - - - - - 2 2 - - 
			 Wolds - - 2 1 9 10 5 6 - - 6 4 15 13 
			 Total 32 30 27 32 29 29 49 41 34 35 36 31 44 50 
			
			  North West   
			 Altcourse 11 9 21 21 18 21 12 11 16 19 11 13 10 13 
			 Buckley Hall - - - - - - - - 3 2 - - - - 
			 Forest Bank - - - - - - - - - - 13 15 6 9 
			 Garth 5 6 8 12 4 3 3 2 4 4 17 19 1 3 
			 Haverigg 6 4 5 2 - - 1 1 - - - - 1 - 
			 Hindley - - 1 1 2 2 - - - - 1 1 - - 
			 Kennet 7 6 - - 11 10 3 2 9 5 9 2 2 1 
			 Kirkham - - - - - - 1 1 7 6 63 13 15 12 
			 Lancaster Castle - - - - - - - - - - 2 3 3 2 
			 Lancaster Farms 2 2 1 - - - 24 22 2 1 - - - - 
			 Liverpool 6 10 43 42 25 29 29 30 7 8 3 1 9 10 
			 Preston 10 16 6 8 - - 5 8 1 5 3 3 - - 
			 Risley 5 8 6 7 2 2 10 15 7 9 2 4 4 2 
			 Styal - - - - - - - - - - 2 2 - - 
			 Thorn Cross 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 - - - - 2 2 
			 Wymott - 1 18 16 11 8 8 6 10 8 5 9 10 9 
			 Total 54 63 110 111 74 77 97 99 66 67 131 85 63 63 
			
			  North East   
			 Acklington 2 2 4 3 1 1 - - 1 - 9 7 5 6 
			 Castington - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Deerbolt - - - - 1 3 - - - - - - - - 
			 Durham 1 2 - - - - - - - - 3 5 3 5 
			 Holme House 3 2 - 3 4 4 - 1 1 1 2 1 3 5 
			 Kirklevington Grange 9 3 7 5 - 1 - 1 9 2 1 2 5 2 
			 Low Newton - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Total 15 9 11 11 6 9 0 2 11 3 15 15 16 18 
			
			 Grand total 262 284 363 357 353 377 407 396 376 425 476 393 355 345 
		
	
	
		
			   Oct ober  Nov ember  Dec ember  Jan uary  Feb ruary  Total 
			   M  S  M  S  M  S  M  S  M  S  M  S 
			  High Security 
			 Belmarsh - - - - - 2 - - - - 1 3 
			 Full Sutton - - - - - 2 1 1 - 4 1 10 
			 Frankland - - - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Long Lartin 1 1 1 1 - - 1 1 - - 7 12 
			 Manchester 1 6 - - 1 - 9 12 4 5 50 55 
			 Wakefield - - - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Woodhill - - 1 1 1 1 - - - - 2 2 
			 Whitemoor 1 2 - - 1 2 - - 2 1 8 11 
			 Total 3 9 2 2 3 7 11 14 6 10 69 93 
			  
			  London 
			 Brixton 14 12 4 4 2 6 9 9 10 11 77 76 
			 Feltham 8 9 3 2 3 3 4 2 2 2 81 82 
			 Holloway - 1 - - 2 2 - - - 1 6 10 
			 Latchmere House 2 - 2 3 5 - 1 1 3 - 21 6 
			 Pentonville 21 18 16 14 17 19 9 5 23 18 156 138 
			 Wandsworth 5 4 - - - - 3 1 50 60 96 107 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 10 7 14 18 9 9 18 15 8 11 127 126 
			 Total 60 51 39 41 38 39 44 33 96 103 564 545 
			  
			  Wales 
			 Cardiff 5 3 1 1 4 6 2 3 1 - 27 27 
			 Swansea 4 4 4 5 11 11 3 3 - - 42 42 
			 Usk/Prescoed - 1 - - 1 1 - - - - 5 4 
			 Parc - - 1 - 1 1 2 5 1 1 13 17 
			 Total 9 8 6 6 17 19 7 11 2 1 87 90 
			  
			  South East 
			 Albany - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 
			 Aylesbury - - 7 6 6 6 13 14 15 14 67 70 
			 Blantyre House - - 4 - 2 - - - - - 14 2 
			 Bronzefield - - - - - - 2 3 - - 15 19 
			 Bullingdon 6 3 - - 3 2 2 3 1 2 28 24 
			 Camp Hill - - - - - - 1 1 2 2 6 6 
			 Canterbury - - - - 1 1 2 1 1 1 14 9 
			 Coldingley 4 5 1 - - - 1 1 2 2 13 13 
			 Cookham Wood - - - - - - 1 1 - - 4 5 
			 Dover 6 4 5 1 9 5 4 2 6 18 41 36 
			 Downview - - - - - - 1 1 - - 2 3 
			 East Sutton Park - - 1 2 - - - - - - 2 3 
			 Elmley 2 2 1 1 4 5 1 2 - 1 31 38 
			 Ford - - - 1 - - 1 1 - - 6 8 
			 Grendon - - - - - - - - - - 19 10 
			 Haslar - - - - - - - - 1 1 1 1 
			 Highdown 2 1 - - 1 1 4 4 1 1 44 34 
			 Huntercombe 1 1 - - - - - - - - 7 10 
			 Kingston - - 1 - - - - - - - 1 0 
			 Lewes - - 1 1 - - - - 1 5 2 6 
			 Maidstone 5 9 - - 1 2 5 6 2 2 27 37 
			 Parkhurst 4 6 - - - 2 - - 2 2 27 31 
			 Reading - - - - 5 4 - - - - 12 13 
			 Rochester  1 2 3 1 3 1 1 1 1 10 18 
			 Send 1 1 1 1 - - - - 3 4 8 10 
			 Springhill 2 1 - - 1 1 - 1 - - 25 19 
			 Standford Hill 7 6 18 11 4 2 5 5 2 2 89 62 
			 Swaleside 6 6 6 11 7 5 8 5 5 5 73 78 
			 Winchester 1 1 - - - - 2 3 - 1 10 11 
			 Total 47 47 48 38 45 39 54 55 47 64 599 577 
			  
			  South West 
			 Ashfield 1 1 - - - - - - - - 11 13 
			 Bristol 4 3 - - 1 - - - - - 36 34 
			 Channings Wood 2 2 - - 2 3 2 1 6 14 33 53 
			 Dartmoor 3 2 3 1 6 5 3 3 1 1 47 37 
			 Dorchester 1 - 1 1 3 2 - - - - 7 6 
			 Eastwood Park 1 1 - - - - - 1 - - 7 11 
			 Erlestoke - - - - - - 1 1 4 1 6 2 
			 Exeter 2 3 1 2 - - - - - - 15 19 
			 Gloucester 2 1 1 - 1 1 1  1 1 11 10 
			 Guys Marsh 3 4 9 3 11 13 8 6 14 12 131 104 
			 Leyhill 7 8 18 15 12 11 5 4 3 4 62 57 
			 Portland - - - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Shepton Mallet - - - - - - - - - - 8 8 
			 The Verne 2 2 3 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 27 22 
			 Total 28 27 36 23 37 36 21 18 32 34 401 376 
			  
			  East of England 
			 Bedford 2 2 - - - - - - - - 7 7 
			 Blundeston 5 3 - - - - - 2 3 - 17 21 
			 Bullwood Hall - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 
			 Bure - - - - - - - - - 2 0 2 
			 Chelmsford 1 - 1 - 2 1 3 3 1 2 12 11 
			 Edmunds Hill - - 2 - 1 - - 1 - - 21 18 
			 Highpoint - - 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 30 36 
			 Hollesley Bay 10 11 11 4 12 8 13 11 7 2 94 63 
			 Littlehey - - - - - - - - - - 5 6 
			 The Mount 12 11 3 5 5 3 8 8 8 5 109 114 
			 Norwich - - - - - - - - - - 15 17 
			 Peterborough 7 10 3 1 9 11 8 11 4 3 84 93 
			 Warren Hill - - - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Wayland 6 6 1 3 - - 5 6 - 1 29 40 
			 Total 43 43 22 17 31 25 40 45 26 19 424 429 
			  
			  East Midlands 
			 Ashwell - - - - - - - 1 - - 12 15 
			 Fosten Hall - - - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Gartree - - - - - - 2 1 3 4 18 23 
			 Glen Parva - - - - - - 1 1 1 1 6 8 
			 Leicester 2 1 5 3 2 2 2 2 2 4 44 43 
			 Lincoln 5 4 3 2 3 5 - - 1 1 28 33 
			 Lowdham Grange - - - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Morton Hall - - - - - - - - - - 2 2 
			 North Sea Camp 5 8 3 3 3 3 2 2 6 7 36 41 
			 Nottingham - - - - 1 1 - 6 - 1 10 23 
			 Onley 3 - - - - - - - - - 10 6 
			 Ranby - - - - - - - - 1 - 18 15 
			 Rye Hill 7 8 6 10 4 3 5 5 7 17 107 132 
			 Stocken - 2 - - 6 8 1 2 4 3 21 24 
			 Sudbury 1 - - - - - - - - - 2 1 
			 Wellingborough 10 15 10 6 10 11 10 13 2 1 84 87 
			 Whatton - - - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Total 33 38 27 24 29 33 23 33 27 39 398 453 
			  
			  West Midlands 
			 Birmingham 11 9 10 11 6 9 16 15 10 7 91 88 
			 Brinsford 3 5 4 1 4 2 3 3 - - 36 33 
			 Dovegate 13 14 2 5 6 8 3 4 3 4 30 42 
			 Drake Hall - - - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Featherstone - 2 1 5 2 3 1 - - - 37 52 
			 Hewell 12 8 10 7 1 1 6 6 4 5 88 88 
			 Shrewsbury 1 1 1 1 - 1 - - - - 8 6 
			 Stafford 1 1 1 1 - - 2 - - - 7 5 
			 Stoke Heath 1 3 1 1 2 2 - - - - 31 33 
			 Swinfen Hall 1 3 1 - - 3 1 3 - 1 24 28 
			 Werrington - - - - - - - - - - 3 4 
			 Total 43 46 31 32 21 29 32 31 17 17 355 379 
			  
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 
			 Askham Grange - - - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Doncaster - 6 1 1 2 1 1 1 - - 8 13 
			 Everthorpe - - - - - - - - - - 47 42 
			 Hull - - - 4 - - - - - - 24 28 
			 Leeds 1 2 4 5 2 4 1 2 2 1 43 52 
			 Lindholme 9 8 5 9 7 4 15 9 7 7 104 89 
			 Moorland open 3 1 5 2 4 5 2 - 3 4 27 24 
			 Moorland closed - - 1 1 - - 2 1 - - 21 22 
			 New Hall - - - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Northallerton 1 1 - - - - - - - - 1 1 
			 Wealstun 1 1 3 3 1 2 - - 1 1 21 27 
			 Wetherby 1 - - - 1 1 - - 2 2 6 5 
			 Wolds 8 9 7 7 5 2 11 11 4 1 72 64 
			 Total 24 28 26 32 22 19 32 24 19 16 374 367 
			  
			  North West 
			 Altcourse 17 16 63 61 30 25 69 73 76 75 354 357 
			 Buckley Hall - - - 2 2 1 - - 1 1 6 6 
			 Forest Bank - - 3 - 3 2 5 5 17 16 47 47 
			 Garth 5 3 4 4 2 2 5 8 4 5 62 71 
			 Haverigg 1 1 4 2 6 5 3 1 11 40 38 56 
			 Hindley - - - - - - - - - - 4 4 
			 Kennet - - - 1 2 - 3 3 - - 46 30 
			 Kirkham 17 2 51 17 21 11 30 13 55 14 260 89 
			 Lancaster Castle - 1 - - - - - - - - 5 6 
			 Lancaster Farms - - - - - - 4 7 1 3 34 35 
			 Liverpool 20 17 10 8 - - 14 20 2 2 168 177 
			 Preston - - - - 3 4 - - - - 28 44 
			 Risley 11 11 6 9 3 2 2 4 2 4 60 77 
			 Styal 3 3 - - - - - - 1 - 6 5 
			 Thorn Cross 1 2 4 4 7 9 8 5 6 5 33 33 
			 Wymott 7 10 3 1 4 3 2 2 3 3 81 76 
			 Total 82 66 148 109 83 64 145 141 179 168 1,232 1,113 
			  
			  North East 
			 Acklington 1 1 8 5 8 5 12 10 2 3 53 43 
			 Castington 1 1 - - 1 1 1 1 - - 3 3 
			 Deerbolt 1 - - - - - - 1 - - 2 4 
			 Durham 1 1 - - 4 2 - - 2 2 14 17 
			 Holme House 1 1 4 3 4 5 5 4 1 1 28 31 
			 Kirklevington Grange 9 6 2 5 7 2 3 2 3 2 55 33 
			 Low Newton - - - - - - - - - - 0 0 
			 Total 14 10 14 13 24 15 21 18 8 8 155 131 
			  
			 Grand total 386 373 399 337 350 325 430 423 459 479 4,616 4,514

Prisons: Mother and Baby Units

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what date his Department ceased to collect data on the number of women who had given birth while serving a sentence of imprisonment.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) withdrew the mother and baby unit (MBU) database from service in April 2009, as over time the data collected and the database itself had become distorted.
	The database's primary purpose was to collect information required to centrally manage and monitor demand for places in MBUs. Revised data requirements and a new reporting system have been introduced to fulfil this function.
	The database was also used to centrally record a range of information in order to answer queries about wider maternity-related issues. This data continues to be recorded locally for operational purposes. Given the level of public and parliamentary interest in this field, further work is being undertaken to examine the feasibility of developing a new central collection system. This work will not be completed until later this year, but a significant amount of the data should be available from early summer. Every effort will be made to consolidate historical data as far as possible.

Property: Sales

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average sale price of a property previously purchased for more than £1 million was in each of the last three years.

Michael Wills: Land Registry is able to provide information based on residential properties sold at full value(1) of more than £1 million for each of the last three years in England and Wales.
	(1) Full value = residential property transactions where the full price has been paid. The figures exclude a number of transactions including right to buy sales at a discount, properties sold by way of a gift and properties sold under a compulsory purchase or court order.
	
		
			   Average price of properties over £1 million 
			 2007 1,703,929 
			 2008 1,764,024 
			 2009 1,685,369

Property: Sales

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many homes have been purchased for more than  (a) £500,000 and  (b) £1 million in each year since 1997.

Michael Wills: Land Registry is able to provide information based on the total number of residential properties sold at full value(1) in England and Wales from 1997 to 2009, as follows:
	(1) Full value = residential property transactions where the full price has been paid. The figures exclude a number of transactions including right to buy sales at a discount, properties sold by way of a gift and properties sold under a compulsory purchase or court order.
	
		
			   Over £500,000  Over £1 million 
			 1997 3,392 518 
			 1998 4,119 682 
			 1999 6,863 1,117 
			 2000 9,815 1,797 
			 2001 12,588 2,204 
			 2002 18,359 2,935 
			 2003 19,669 2,823 
			 2004 27,079 3,963 
			 2005 26,981 3,818 
			 2006 42,451 6,333 
			 2007 52,273 8,531 
			 2008 27,356 5,008 
			 2009 25,450 4,535 
		
	
	The numbers in the over £1 million column are also part of the total in the over £500,000 column.

Public Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse was of  (a) the Independent Commission on the Voting System,  (b) the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords,  (c) the production of the White Paper on The House of Lords-Completing the Reform and  (d) the production of the White Paper on An Elected Second Chamber.

Michael Wills: The Stationery Office has provided the following costings:
	The publication costs of  (a) the Report of Independent Commission on the Voting System was £3,001.00 for Cm 4090-1 and £972.00 for Cm 4090-11;
	 (b) the Report of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords was £31,090.9;
	 (c) the White Paper 'The House of Lords-Completing the Reform' (Cm 7027) was £12,353.00; and
	 (d) of the White Paper 'An Elected Second Chamber' (Cm 7438) was £20,389.57.
	Information on the other costs is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Television: Licensing

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted of offences related to failure to purchase a television licence in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for TV licence evasion in England and Wales 1997 to 2008 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
	Court data for 2009 are planned for publication in the autumn, 2010.
	
		
			  Number of persons p roceeded against at magistrates  courts and found guilty at all courts for television licence evasion( 1, 2) , England and Wales, 1997 to 2008( 3, 4) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000( 5)  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008( 6) 
			 Proceeded against 92,728 96,616 68,778 120,626 96,471 110,160 93,897 106,435 122,923 130,019 135,508 134,518 
			 Found guilty 76,984 76,605 55,813 105,318 83,739 96,589 79,856 89,240 104,930 115,470 120,874 120,785 
			 (1) For 1997 to 2007 as well as television licence evasion, these data include proceedings for summary offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 to 1967. (2) For 2007 and 2008 these figures relate to the offence Television Licence evasion - Communications Act 2003. (3) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (6) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July, and August 2008.  Note: Wireless Telegraphy Act offences (mainly television licence evasion) prosecutions increased by 75 per cent from 1999 to 2000. These figures fluctuate from year to year depending on the level and manner of enforcement by the licensing authorities. The increase in prosecutions in 2000 was largely due to changes in visiting practices so that enforcement visits to households took place at times when TV was more likely to be watched.  Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice

Wills

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to increase the number of people who make wills.

Bridget Prentice: There are no specific initiatives currently under way to increase the number of people who make wills. Nonetheless, we encourage people to do so by keeping the process relatively straightforward and inexpensive and by providing information about how it can be done on government websites, such as those of Her Majesty's Courts Service, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, and Directgov.

Young Offender Institutions

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what funding his Department has allocated to the development of the new Young Offender Institution at Glen Parva; when he expects it to be fully operational; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The funding currently allocated for the proposed 360 place young offender institution (YOI) at Glen Parva is approximately £80 million.
	The YOI is currently planned for delivery in mid-2012. The operation of the establishment will be subject to a competition to start later this year, and decisions on the appropriate level of build up of young people will be made in conjunction with the selected operator.

Youth Custody

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the maximum population capacity of each  (a) secure children's home,  (b) secure training centre and  (c) young offender institution was in each year since 2002.

Maria Eagle: The following tables provide the information, as at 1 April in each year since 2002: the maximum number of secure children home places provided under contract to the Youth Justice Board; the maximum capacity of each secure training centre; and the maximum number of places for young people under 18 at each young offender institution which accommodates young people under that age.
	
		
			  Places at secure children's homes contractually provided to the Youth Justice Board, as at 1 April: 2002 - 09 
			   Aldine House  Atkinson Unit  Aycliffe Young Peoples Centre  Barton Moss Secure Unit  Briars Hey (Orchard House)  Brunel Unit  Clare Lodge  Clayfields House  Dales House 
			 2002 6 11 30 17 4 0 8 9 6 
			 2003 4 11 35 18 7 6 8 9 8 
			 2004 5 10 30 20 0 0 0 12 0 
			 2005 5 10 30 20 0 0 0 12 0 
			 2006 5 10 30 20 0 0 0 12 0 
			 2007 5 10 30 20 0 0 0 12 0 
			 2008 5 10 30 20 0 0 0 12 0 
			 2009 5 10 30 20 0 0 0 12 0 
		
	
	
		
			   Dyson Hall (Gladstone Unit)  East Moor Secure Unit  Hillside  Lincolnshire Unit  Kyloe House  Leverton Secure Unit  Orchard Lodge  Red Bank Community Centre  Redsands (Oak House) 
			 2002 9 34 14 4 3 2 16 28 4 
			 2003 16 34 14 7 3 0 18 28 0 
			 2004 16 34 14 7 3 0 18 28 0 
			 2005 16 34 14 7 3 0 18 28 0 
			 2006 16 34 14 7 3 0 18 28 0 
			 2007 16 34 14 7 3 0 18 28 0 
			 2008 0 34 14 8 3 0 16 28 0 
			 2009 0 34 15 8 3 0 16 28 0 
		
	
	
		
			   St .  John's Tiffield  Stamford House  Stoke House  Sutton Place Safe Centre  Swanwick Lodge  Thornbury House  Vinney Green  Total 
			 2002 8 0 4 7 5 7 18 254 
			 2003 8 20 0 8 8 7 20 297 
			 2004 0 0 0 8 10 0 20 235 
			 2005 0 0 0 8 10 0 20 235 
			 2006 0 0 0 8 10 0 20 235 
			 2007 0 0 0 8 10 0 20 235 
			 2008 0 0 0 8 10 0 20 218 
			 2009 0 0 0 8 10 0 20 219 
			  Note: Capacity shown includes YJB-contracted beds only; some secure children's homes have additional beds for looked-after young people. 
		
	
	
		
			  Capacity of secure training centres, as at 1 April: 2002 - 09 
			   Medway  Hassockfield  Rainsbrook  Oakhill( 1)  Total 
			 2002 44 42 44 0 130 
			 2003 76 42 76 0 194 
			 2004 76 42 76 0 194 
			 2005 76 42 76 80 274 
			 2006 76 42 76 80 274 
			 2007 76 58 87 80 301 
			 2008 76 58 87 80 301 
			 2009 76 58 87 80 301 
			 (1) For a number of periods up to 2008, occupancy levels at Oakhill were capped below the maximum capacity level. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of places for young people under 18 in young offender institutions, as at 1 April: 2002 - 09 
			   Ashfield  Brinsford  Brockhill  Bullwood Hall  Castington  Cookham Wood  Downview  Eastwood Park  Feltham  Foston Hall  Hindley 
			 2002 303 224 14 30 280 0 0 10 240 0 192 
			 2003 202 224 14 30 280 0 0 10 240 0 192 
			 2004 202 224 0 30 168 0 0 10 240 0 192 
			 2005 360 224 0 30 168 0 16 10 240 0 192 
			 2006 360 224 0 0 168 17 16 16 240 0 192 
			 2007 400 168 0 0 168 17 16 16 240 16 192 
			 2008 400 112 0 0 168 157 16 16 240 16 192 
			 2009 400 112 0 0 168 157 16 16 240 16 440 
		
	
	continued
	
		
			   Huntercombe  Lancaster Farms  New Hall  Onley  Parc  Stoke Heath  Thorn Cross  Warren Hill  Werrington  Wetherby  Woodhill  Total 
			 2002 360 130 48 240 28 202 60 213 132 360 0 3,066 
			 2003 360 130 48 240 28 202 60 213 132 360 0 2,965 
			 2004 360 130 48 0 28 202 60 216 132 360 0 2,602 
			 2005 360 130 48 0 36 202 60 216 132 360 0 2,784 
			 2006 360 250 26 0 36 202 60 222 160 360 8 2,917 
			 2007 360 250 26 0 64 202 70 222 160 360 8 2,955 
			 2008 360 240 26 0 64 202 0 222 160 360 0 2,951 
			 2009 360 0 26 0 64 202 0 222 160 408 0 3,007

Youth Custody

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the size of the juvenile custodial population is; what assessment he has made of recent and likely future trends in that population; and what assessment has been made of required levels of future capacity in the juvenile custodial estate.

Maria Eagle: At the end of January 2009 (the latest date for which verified figures are available) there were 2,096 young people under-18 in custody.
	Over the last 18 months, there has been a very significant decrease in the size of the under-18 custodial population. At the end of June 2008, there were 3,029 young people in custody. Since then, the population has fallen by 31 per cent. In the light of this developing trend, the Youth Justice Board has acted to remove spare capacity in the under-18 estate, beginning with the decommissioning of under-18 places at Brinsford YOI. In addition, we have recently announced the decommissioning of places at Castington YOI. We will continue to keep the under-18 population under review and to ensure that the capacity of the estate is adjusted to take account of the number of young people it needs to accommodate.

Youth Justice Board: Crime Prevention

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by the Youth Justice Board on crime prevention programmes in 2008-09.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) on 1 March 2010,  Official Report, column 943W.

Youth Justice Board: Custodial Places

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of the Youth Justice Board's budget was spent on purchasing custodial places in 2008-09.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) on 25 February 2010,  Official Report, column 665W.

Youth Offending Teams: Youth Justice Board

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the change in real terms in spending on  (a) the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales and  (b) local youth offending teams was between 2000 and 2007.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) on 26 February 2010,  Official Report, column 802W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes were purchased through  (a) HomeBuy Direct,  (b) New Build HomeBuy,  (c) Open Market HomeBuy,  (d) the First Time Buyer's initiative,  (e) Social HomeBuy and  (f) Rent to HomeBuy schemes in each year from the inception of each scheme to 2006.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather) on 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1282W and the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 30 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1400W.
	HomeBuy Direct and Rent to HomeBuy were not operational in 2006.

Affordable Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made for the purposes of the allocation of regional funding by the Homes and Communities Agency of the likely number of New Build HomeBuy completions in each region in 2010-11;
	(2)  what estimate he has made for the purposes of the allocation of regional funding by the Homes and Communities Agency of the likely number of Rent to HomeBuy completions in each region in 2010-11.

John Healey: These HomeBuy schemes form part of the funding made available for affordable housing through the Regional Housing Pot. Regional allocations for 2010-11 were set out in a letter from Communities and Local Government to Regional Assemblies on 12 December 2007. The distribution between Regions was arrived at by means of the Housing Needs Formula which reflected key policy objectives. It was not split by individual affordable housing products.

Affordable Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in each constituency have participated in the Homebuy Direct scheme to date.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency's information system does not collect such data on a constituency basis.

Affordable Housing: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much funding his Department allocated under the New Build HomeBuy scheme in each region in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and how much such funding has been allocated for (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12;
	(2)  how much funding his Department allocated under the Rent to HomeBuy scheme in each region in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and how much such funding has been allocated for (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12;
	(3)  how much funding his Department allocated to each region for low cost home ownership programmes in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11 to date;
	(4)  how much funding his Department allocated under the HomeBuy Direct scheme in each region in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and how much such funding has been allocated for (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2 March 2010,  Official Report, column 1127W, which provided allocations by region for HomeBuy Direct, New Build HomeBuy, Open Market HomeBuy, First Time Buyer's Initiative, Social HomeBuy and Rent to HomeBuy.
	In addition the following table shows the allocations provided by region in 2008-09 for New Build HomeBuy, Rent to HomeBuy, and low cost home ownership. There were no HomeBuy Direct allocations in 2008-09.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Region  New Build HomeBuy  Rent to HomeBuy  Low cost home ownership 
			 East Midlands 18.64 14.70 47.27 
			 East of England 24.41 22.52 106.52 
			 London 178.16 93.15 452.58 
			 North East 4.78 0.99 9.35 
			 North West 44.71 15.38 68.03 
			 South East 52.44 9.23 156.98 
			 South West 19.03 7.67 63.94 
			 West Midlands 28.29 6.58 57.47 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 17.65 6.56 35.00 
			 Total 388.11 176.79 997.13 
			  Source: Homes and Communities Agency

Affordable Housing: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department allocated to each sub-region for low cost home ownership programmes in spending period  (a) 2008-11,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11 to date; and how many such homes are expected to be completed in each sub-region.

John Healey: The table shows allocations made through the Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing programme for low cost home ownership programmes by sub-region. The allocations shown are in respect of those made each year for 2008-09 and 2009-10 to end of February 2010 respectively. Allocations in 2010-11 will not be made until the next financial year.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Region  Sub-region  2008-09  2009-10  Total 
			 East Midlands Northern 2.33 7.23 9.55 
			 East Midlands Peak 1.42 0.89 2.31 
			 East Midlands Rural East 9.19 11.16 20.36 
			 East Midlands Southern Growth 12.84 14.97 27.81 
			 East Midlands Three Cities 21.49 19.98 41.47 
			 East Midlands Total  47.27 54.23 101.50 
			  
			 East of England Bedfordshire 27.70 27.04 54.73 
			 East of England Cambridge 19.21 11.37 30.58 
			 East of England Greater Norwich 7.90 5.25 13.15 
			 East of England Haven Gateway 6.85 14.75 21.61 
			 East of England London Commuter Belt 22.60 31.85 54.46 
			 East of England Peterborough 7.67 9.11 16.79 
			 East of England Rural East Anglia 4.25 1.58 5.84 
			 East of England Thames Gateway 10.20 10.69 20.89 
			 East of England Yarmouth and Lowestoft 0.12 1.79 1.91 
			 East of England Total  106.52 113.44 219.95 
			  
			 London East 133.46 168.06 301.52 
			 London North 102.93 74.65 177.58 
			 London South East 69.87 92.58 162.46 
			 London South West 56.85 61.47 118.32 
			 London West 89.47 57.81 147.28 
			 London Total  452.58 454.57 907.15 
			  
			 North East County Durham 2.16 7.31 9.48 
			 North East Northumberland 0.71 3.50 4.22 
			 North East Tees Valley 4.59 12.50 17.09 
			 North East Tyne and Wear 1.88 10.01 11.89 
			 North East Total  9.35 33.33 42.68 
			  
			 North West Cheshire 4.11 3.41 7.52 
			 North West Cumbria 0.92 2.63 3.55 
			 North West East Lanes 5.91 2.76 8.66 
			 North West Greater Manchester 27.30 36.09 63.39 
			 North West Merseyside 18.65 15.67 34.32 
			 North West West Lanes 11.14 10.80 21.94 
			 North West Total  68.03 71.35 139.38 
			  
			 South East Ashford 4.67 11.92 16.59 
			 South East Blackwater Valley 4.99 16.12 21.11 
			 South East Canterbury and East Kent 3.75 3.26 7.01 
			 South East Crawley/Gatwick 3.97 4.70 8.67 
			 South East Eastbourne 0.30 0.46 0.76 
			 South East Guildford/Woking 14.76 5.31 20.07 
			 South East Hastings and Rother 0.16 1.30 1.46 
			 South East High Weald 0.95 1.73 2.68 
			 South East Inner North 2.03 5.52 7.55 
			 South East Inner South 6.78 2.79 9.56 
			 South East Inner West 5.39 6.02 11.41 
			 South East Isle of Wight 5.60 1.65 7.25 
			 South East Maidstone Milton Keynes/South 4.69 3.14 7.83 
			 South East Midlands 9.43 14.32 23.75 
			 South East North Hampshire-M3 4.12 10.21 14.33 
			 South East North Kent 9.94 13.76 23.70 
			 South East Oxford City Region 9.15 5.76 14.92 
			 South East Reading-M4 West 24.73 17.60 42.33 
			 South East South Hampshire 22.71 19.22 41.93 
			 South East Sussex Coast 15.96 13.05 29.01 
			 South East West Kent 2.90 4.70 7.60 
			 South East Total  156.98 162.55 319.53 
			  
			 South West Bournemouth and Poole 5.53 6.79 12.32 
			 South West Cornwall 0.00 5.65 5.65 
			 South West Exeter 17.76 14.31 32.07 
			 South West Gloucester and Cheltenham 1.47 19.27 20.74 
			 South West Plymouth 2.43 6.84 9.27 
			 South West Polycentric Devon and Cornwall 2.06 3.04 5.10 
			 South West Salisbury 0.83 0.00 0.83 
			 South West South Somerset 2.03 2.23 4.26 
			 South West Swindon 4.47 22.67 27.14 
			 South West Taunton 0.25 6.24 6.49 
			 South West Torbay 0.34 0.47 0.80 
			 South West West Cornwall 4.26 0.00 4.26 
			 South West West of England 21.46 29.30 50.76 
			 South West Weymouth -Dorchester 1.05 1.18 2.23 
			 South West Total  63.94 117.99 181.93 
			  
			 West Midlands Central 44.50 56.48 100.98 
			 West Midlands North 4.39 6.75 11.14 
			 West Midlands South 5.77 8.14 13.91 
			 West Midlands West 2.81 3.63 6.44 
			 West Midlands Total  57.47 75.01 132.48 
			  
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Humberside 3.00 13.00 16.01 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber North Yorkshire 5.12 7.20 12.31 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber South Yorkshire 8.02 17.96 25.98 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber West Yorkshire 18.86 30.72 49.57 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Total  35.00 68.87 103.87 
			 Grand Total  997.13 1,151.34 2,148.47 
			  Source:  Homes and Communities Agency 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of low cost home ownership completions (forecast or actual) arising from those allocations provided by the year of the allocation and not by year of completion.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Region  Sub-region  2008  2009  Total 
			 East Midlands Northern 145 306 451 
			 East Midlands Peak 53 32 85 
			 East Midlands Rural East 410 494 904 
			 East Midlands Southern Growth 500 435 935 
			 East Midlands Three Cities 893 762 1,655 
			 East Midlands Total  2,001 2,029 4,030 
			  
			 East of England Bedfordshire 996 811 1,807 
			 East of England Cambridge 696 527 1,223 
			 East of England Greater Norwich 308 196 504 
			 East of England Haven Gateway 353 614 967 
			 East of England London Commuter Belt 773 983 1,756 
			 East of England Peterborough 227 331 558 
			 East of England Rural East Anglia 158 66 224 
			 East of England Thames Gateway 354 333 687 
			 East of England Yarmouth and Lowestoft 27 63 90 
			 East of England Total  3,892 3,924 7,816 
			  
			 London East 2,749 2,984 5,733 
			 London North 1,674 1,705 3,379 
			 London South East 1,846 1,715 3,561 
			 London South West 1,271 1,227 2,498 
			 London West 1,743 1,249 2,992 
			 London Total  9,283 8,880 18,163 
			  
			 North East County Durham 86 328 414 
			 North East Northumberland 53 158 211 
			 North East Tees Valley 185 583 768 
			 North East Tyne and Wear 85 420 505 
			 North East Total  409 1,489 1,898 
			  
			 North West Cheshire 262 125 387 
			 North West Cumbria 36 107 143 
			 North West East Lanes 207 96 303 
			 North West Greater Manchester 892 1,324 2,216 
			 North West Merseyside 644 602 1,246 
			 North West West Lanes 270 411 681 
			 North West Total  2,311 2,665 4,976 
			  
			 South East Ashford 181 288 469 
			 South East Blackwater Valley 163 450 613 
			 South East Canterbury and East Kent 154 148 302 
			 South East Crawley/Gatwick 148 171 319 
			 South East Eastbourne 6 21 27 
			 South East Guildford/Woking 493 150 643 
			 South East Hastings and Rother 16 46 62 
			 South East High Weald 47 52 99 
			 South East Inner North 82 251 333 
			 South East Inner South 216 87 303 
			 South East Inner West 207 191 398 
			 South East Isle of Wight 137 59 196 
			 South East Maidstone Milton Keynes/South 190 102 292 
			 South East Midlands 335 515 850 
			 South East North Hampshire-M3 200 372 572 
			 South East North Kent 505 559 1,064 
			 South East Oxford City Region 345 184 529 
			 South East Reading-M4 West 750 476 1,226 
			 South East South Hampshire 784 501 1,285 
			 South East Sussex Coast 456 331 787 
			 South East West Kent 91 153 244 
			 South East Total  5,506 5,107 10,613 
			  
			 South West Bournemouth and Poole 104 181 285 
			 South West Cornwall  171 171 
			 South West Exeter 615 413 1,028 
			 South West Gloucester and Cheltenham 56 579 635 
			 South West Plymouth 92 232 324 
			 South West Polycentric Devon and Cornwall 114 130 244 
			 South West Salisbury 26  26 
			 South West South Somerset 64 76 140 
			 South West Swindon 264 627 891 
			 South West Taunton 26 226 252 
			 South West Torbay 30 9 39 
			 South West West Cornwall 238  238 
			 South West West of England 631 953 1,584 
			 South West Weymouth - Dorchester 54 33 87 
			 South West Total  2,314 3,630 5,944 
			  
			 West Midlands Central 1,866 2,020 3,886 
			 West Midlands North 244 261 505 
			 West Midlands South 298 232 530 
			 West Midlands West 97 122 219 
			 West Midlands Total  2,505 2,635 5,140 
			  
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Humberside 127 548 675 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber North Yorkshire 218 236 454 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber South Yorkshire 301 673 974 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber West Yorkshire 766 1,250 2,016 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber Total  1,412 2,707 4,119 
			 Grand Total  29,633 33,066 62,699

Affordable Housing: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the target is for the provision of affordable housing in each London local authority.

Ian Austin: Boroughs' targets for provision of affordable housing are set in Core Strategies and, where they exist, saved policies from Unitary Development Plans. Where neither is in place the existing London Plan policy that 50 per cent. of all new housing across London should be affordable would apply. Borough targets for provision of affordable housing are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Borough  Target 
			 Barking and Dagenham 50 per cent. 
			 Barnet 50 per cent. 
			 Bexley 35 per cent. 
			 Brent 50 per cent. 
			 Bromley 35 per cent. 
			 Camden 50 per cent. 
			 City of London 50 per cent. 
			 Croydon 40-50 per cent. 
			 Ealing 50 per cent. 
			 Enfield London Plan target applies 
			 Greenwich 35 per cent. minimum (50 per cent. on Greenfield or readily developable former employment land) 
			 Hackney London Plan target applies 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham London Plan target applies 
			 Haringey 50 per cent. 
			 Harrow London Plan target applies 
			 Havering 50 per cent. 
			 Hillingdon London Plan target applies 
			 Hounslow London Plan target applies 
			 Islington London Plan target applies 
			 Kensington and Chelsea London Plan target applies 
			 Kingston upon Thames 30-50 per cent. (50 per cent. on schemes of 25 units or more) 
			 Lambeth 40 per cent. (50 per cent. with grant) 
			 Lewisham 35 per cent. 
			 Merton London Plan target applies 
			 Newham London Plan target applies 
			 Redbridge 50 per cent. 
			 Richmond upon Thames 50 per cent. 
			 Southwark 50 per cent. (35 per cent. or 40 per cent. in Central Activities Zone, central London) 
			 Sutton 50 per cent. 
			 Tower Hamlets 50 per cent. (35 per cent. on individual privately owned sites), adopted for development management purposes 
			 Waltham Forest 50 per cent. 
			 Wandsworth London Plan target applies 
			 Westminster 50 per cent. (10-30 per cent. in Central Activities Zone, central London)

Affordable Housing: Sustainable Development

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 880-1W, on housing: sustainable development, what the cost to his Department was of the stand at Ecobuild; if he will publish on his Department's website a copy of each speech; and whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the Ecobuild event.

John Healey: The cost of the Department's stand at the Ecobuild conference was £24,000, excluding VAT.
	Where formal presentations were made by officials at the conference, copies are available on the Ecobuild conference website at:
	www.ecobuild.co.uk/seminars.html.
	The popularity of the Ecobuild event has confirmed for me the commitment of the industry to improving the sustainability of homes and industry's positive response to this Government's polices for promoting sustainable homes.

Allotments

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to Baroness Byford of 18 March 2010,  Official Report, House of Lords, column 213WA, on allotments, how many applications to dispose of statutory allotments were  (a) submitted,  (b) approved and  (c) rejected in each local authority area in each year since 1997-98.

Barbara Follett: A table providing data, broken down by year and local authority area, on the number of consent to dispose of statutory allotments applications which were submitted, granted and refused from 1 January 2000 until 31 December 2009 has been placed in the Library of the House. We do not hold complete data for years prior to 2000. Where applications were neither granted nor refused, they were either withdrawn, consent was not required or were otherwise invalid.

Council Housing

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have banned domestic cats or dogs from new housing as part of a Special Protection Area strategy.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 9 February 2010,  Official Report, column 831W.

Council Housing

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were on the local housing waiting list in  (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency,  (b) each local authority area in the East of England and  (c) England (i) in each of the last five years and (ii) on the latest date for which information is available.

Ian Austin: Information is available on numbers of households rather than people. Information is not available for constituencies. The number of households registered on social housing waiting lists in each local authority, each region, and in England, as at 1 April each year from 1997 to 2009, is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600. The link for this table is given as follows:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table600.xls

Council Housing: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the budget of each arm's length housing management organisation in each London local authority was recharged to the local authority in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: The Department allocates funding to local authorities with arm's length management organisations (ALMOs) in the form of supported capital expenditure via the housing finance subsidy system. Local authorities, including those in London, allocate funding to their ALMOs via a management fee. This is a contractual matter as agreed between the local authorities and their ALMOs.
	The Department does not hold a record of the proportion of the budget of each arm's length management organisation that is recharged to its parent local authority.

Council Housing: Property Transfer

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority had in unspent capital receipts from the sale of council housing on the most recent date for which figures are available, listed in descending order of amount of receipts.

Ian Austin: The information requested is not held centrally.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on average what the council tax band was of a  (a) two,  (b) three and  (c) four bedroom house in the latest period for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: It is not possible to determine an average in the manner requested, however:
	the band which has most frequently been applied to a two-bedroom house in England (as at 31 December 2009) is band A.
	the band which has most frequently been applied to a three-bedroom house in England (as at 31 December 2009) is band C.
	the band which has most frequently been applied to a four-bedroom house in England (as at 31 December 2009) is band E.
	Each of the three dwelling types has valuation list entries across all eight council tax bands.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many smoking shelters have been built for his Department's staff in the last five years; and at what cost.

Barbara Follett: One smoking shelter has been provided at Hempstead House, Hemel Hempstead at a cost of £4,112.50 inclusive of VAT.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government has spent £403,606 excluding VAT, on interior design in relation to office refurbishments since its inception in May 2006. The projects are part of the department's estates efficiency strategy, resulting in running cost efficiencies of £8 million per annum.

Departmental Contracts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will issue guidance on his Department's policy on the relocation offshore of departmental jobs to companies bidding for contracts let by his Department.

Barbara Follett: The Department does not have an 'offshoring' policy. It is a procurement option which can be justified if it delivers value for money and is consistent with EC procurement regulations.

Departmental Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) voltage optimisers and  (b) equivalent technologies are used within buildings occupied by his Department.

Barbara Follett: Communities and Local Government has yet to install any voltage optimisers in its main buildings. A number of feasibility studies have been undertaken but installation has been delayed until our buildings are at maximum occupancy. Only then will we have a full understanding of the appropriateness and return on investment of this type of technology relative to our specific buildings.
	The Department is strongly committed to reducing its energy demand and related carbon emissions, and is installing a range of energy efficient technologies in its buildings including:
	Free cooling circulation for kitchen air supply
	Lower energy lighting with high frequency ballasts, and LEDs
	Boiler optimisers
	High efficiency chillers with heat recovery.
	In 2009, the Department reported a 33 per cent. reduction in carbon emissions from its central offices and achieved the Carbon Trust Standard, demonstrating a sustained commitment to carbon management, and a proven track record of year-on-year energy reduction.

Departmental Furniture

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on antique furniture in each of the last five years; and what items were purchased.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not purchased any antique furniture during the last five years.

Departmental Information Officers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to his Department was of employing press and media officers in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department was of employing such staff in the financial year 1996-97, expressed in real terms.

Barbara Follett: The total expenditure by this Department on the combined costs (including salary, employer's national insurance contributions and pension costs) for all press and media officers employed during the financial year 2009/10 was £964,064.86.
	Due to the need to reconcile the changes in personnel and in internal accounting practices in the intervening period, figures for the financial year 1996-97 would only be available at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what capital projects his Department expects to have in 2010-11; and what the budget for each will be in that year.

Barbara Follett: Capital expenditure is incurred by my Department and its executive agency the Planning Inspectorate either to support its day to day running (mainly of the estates and IT systems), and that of its agency, or on key national fire resilience projects where the Department manages procurement for the fire service generally (Firelink and FiReControl). The budgets allocated to these projects for 2010-11 are set out in table A.
	However, the majority of the Department's capital programmes are delivered through arm's length bodies (the Homes and Communities Agency and the regional development agencies) and local authorities. The budgets allocated to these programmes for 2010-11 are set out in table B.
	Finally, my Department contributes to the funding of the infrastructure for the 2012 Olympic Games for which there is a budget of £442 million in 2010-11.
	
		
			  Table A-Capital projects in the Department and its Executive agency-the Planning Inspectorate 
			  Financial year 2010-11 plans 
			  Projects  Capital budgets( 1)  (£ million) 
			 Investment in Ordnance Survey 14.800 
			 Control Rooms equipment 9.199 
			 Planning Inspectorate equipment and computers 6.331 
			 Strategic information technology 7.034 
			 Investment in Coalfields Enterprise Fund 5.000 
			 Enhanced Local Government Accrual Reporting System 3.500 
			 Firelink equipment 2.200 
			 CLG building improvements 2.180 
			 Electronic Data Records Management System 2.000 
			 Government Offices building improvements 2.860 
			 Fire and Rescue Services Improvement 1.083 
			 Accounting system enhancements 1.350 
			 New Dimension equipment 1.582 
			 E-Planning information technology 1.000 
			 Total 60.119 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B-Capital grants 
			  Financial year 2010-11 plans 
			  Programmes  Capital budgets( 1)  (£ million) 
			 Homes and Communities Agency 3,538.396 
			 Arm's Length Management Organisations 594.000 
			 Regional Development Agencies-CLG Support 543.322 
			 Regional Housing Pot Grant 301.752 
			 Housing Market Renewal Fund 286.000 
			 Local Authority Supported Capital Expenditure (Decent Homes) 258.755 
			 Disabled Facilities Grants 168.800 
			 Gap Funding for Large Scale Voluntary Transfers 139.000 
			 Community Infrastructure Fund 135.025 
			 Fire Credit Approvals 70.824 
			 Public Service Agreement Performance Fund 47.000 
			 Fire and Rescue Services Improvement programme 45.694 
			 Improvement, Transformation and Efficiency 42.870 
			 New Deal for Communities 43.340 
			 Thames Gateway-London Urban Development Corporation 33.000 
			 Support for Voluntary and Community Sector Sustainability 27.283 
			 Growth Areas New Growth Points and Eco Towns 25.000 
			 Thames Gateway-Thurrock Urban Development Corporation 20.000 
			 Local Enterprise Growth Initiative 18.649 
			 Other Growth Areas: West Northants Urban Development Corporation 7.065 
			 Coalfields Regeneration Trust 6.650 
			 Renewing Neighbourhoods 6.425 
			 General Greater London Authority Grant 1.600 
			 Valuation tribunals 0.400 
			 Fire Service Statistics 0.271 
			 Local Government Standards Board 0.230 
			 Leasehold Advisory Services 0.132 
			 Housing Defects Grants 0.070 
			 Total 6,361.553 
			 (1) These budgets are current, and may be subject to change through the Supplementary Estimates process based on decisions by Ministers.

Fire Services: Emergency Calls

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2010,  Official Report, column 714W, on fire services: emergency calls, what the original timetable was for the launch of the SMS emergency number; what the original budget was; what the expected go-live date is; and what operational costs have been incurred to date.

Shahid Malik: The emergency SMS trial was launched by British Telecommunications PLC on 14 September 2009 in accordance with the agreed with the mobile service providers and emergency services and is available nationally. BT is currently developing plans for providing capacity and resilience in the system which will allow the arrangements to be regarded as providing a full, rather than a trial, service.
	The service is being provided by BT and the mobile service providers at no cost to the emergency services, who should incur no operational costs.

Fire Services: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the income of each fire and rescue authority in England was from  (a) central Government grant,  (b) council tax and  (c) other sources in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: The proportion of the income from central Government grant, council tax and other sources for each fire and rescue authority in England in 2008-09 is in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Central Government grant  Council tax  Other sources 
			 Greater Manchester Fire and CD Authority 64.4 34.0 1.6 
			 Merseyside Fire and CD Authority 62.0 34.4 3.7 
			 South Yorkshire Fire and CD Authority 60.8 36.1 3.0 
			 Tyne and Wear Fire and CD Authority 59.4 35.4 5.1 
			 West Midlands Fire and CD Authority 66.6 29.7 3.7 
			 West Yorkshire Fire and CD Authority 62.9 36.3 0.7 
			 Avon Combined Fire Authority 56.0 42.5 1.5 
			 Bedfordshire Combined Fire Authority 40.4 57.2 2.4 
			 Berkshire Combined Fire Authority 47.0 51.8 1.2 
			 Buckinghamshire Combined Fire Authority 41.5 53.3 5.2 
			 Cambridgeshire Combined Fire Authority 47.5 51.0 1.5 
			 Cheshire Combined Fire Authority 43.1 55.4 1.5 
			 Cleveland Combined Fire Authority 67.7 30.2 2.1 
			 Derbyshire Combined Fire Authority 46.8 51.5 1.7 
			 Devon and Somerset Combined Fire Authority 47.8 48.6 3.6 
			 Dorset Combined Fire Authority 37.7 50.0 12.3 
			 Durham Combined Fire Authority 47.0 52.8 0.3 
			 East Sussex Combined Fire Authority 37.6 61.2 1.1 
			 Essex Combined Fire Authority 44.2 54.2 1.6 
			 Hampshire Combined Fire Authority 44.2 53.8 2.1 
			 Hereford and Worcester Combined Fire Authority 37.5 59.0 3.5 
			 Humberside Combined Fire Authority 53.9 44.1 1.9 
			 Kent Combined Fire Authority 42.1 52.9 5.0 
			 Lancashire Combined Fire Authority 53.8 44.3 1.9 
			 Leicestershire Combined Fire Authority 55.0 43.9 1.1 
			 North Yorkshire Combined Fire Authority 43.7 55.4 0.8 
			 Nottinghamshire Combined Fire Authority 49.0 45.0 6.0 
			 Shropshire Combined Fire Authority 37.1 59.6 3.3 
			 Staffordshire Combined Fire Authority 43.4 55.0 1.6 
			 Wiltshire Combined Fire Authority 39.9 58.5 1.6 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government revenue outturn (RO) returns and capital outturn (CO) returns 
		
	
	The definition of central Government grant used here is the sum of formula grant (revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates), specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF) (i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services), specific and special revenue grants outside AEF (i.e. where funding is not for authorities' core services, but is passed to a third party, for example, rent allowances and rebates), area based grant (ABG) and expenditure financed by capital grants from central Government.
	The definition of council tax used here is council taxes financed from council tax benefit grant but excludes council taxes financed from local authority contributions to council tax benefit.
	Other sources is defined as sum of interest and investment income-external receipts and dividends, sales fees and charges and in-year capital receipts.
	Other sources exclude income reported by local authorities under 'other income' in RO returns as this includes internal recharges, which distorts the comparative figures on income.
	Comparison across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities.

Fire Services: Greater London

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the letter of 9 March 2010 from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, what consideration Ministers in his Department have given to postponing the opening of the new London Regional Fire Control Room until after the London 2012 Olympics.

Shahid Malik: Under current planning assumptions the Regional Fire Control Centre for London is due to become operational during September 2011. In view of the proximity of this date to the Olympic games, I have written to the chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority to ask if they wish to move this date back until after the Olympics. I have also offered to explore the possibility of moving their current control into the Regional Control Centre so that London can benefit from the facilities and enhanced resilience the new building offers during the Olympics. I await LFEPA's formal response.

Fire Services: Risk Assessment

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) of 16 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 1269-70W, on fire services: risk assessment, what the risks identified on the FiReControl risk register are; what level of risk is assigned to each; and what steps are being taken to mitigate each risk.

Shahid Malik: The FiReControl risk assessment is published as Appendix M of the FiReControl Full Business Case, published in May 2009. These risks are organised under nine main categories, with the level of risk and the mitigation set out-these are kept under review. The business case can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/fcbusinesscasepart2.pdf

Fires: Hoaxes and False Alarms

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) genuine and  (b) malicious false fire emergency calls were received in each fire authority in the North West in (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009.

Shahid Malik: The relevant data that are held centrally are for financial year periods and cover all emergency calls, with no distinction as to whether relating to a reported fire or other type of incident.
	In preparing this answer it became evident that the figures provided in the answer to a very similar question on 28 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1170-76W, were of numbers of false alarm incidents attended, rather than of emergency calls. The data available for the periods requested by both questions are therefore shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Total emergency calls( 1)  handled, fire and rescue services in the north-west, 2002-03 to 2008-09 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Cheshire 31,102 33,506 29,254 28,757 28,435 24,294 22,300 
			 Cumbria 13,444 14,710 14,594 14,082 13,258 12,199 9,411 
			 Greater Manchester 101,348 113,111 88,927 89,066 95,724 85,026 75,010 
			 Lancashire 48,508 53,171 44,383 42,189 44,727 38,471 34,849 
			 Merseyside 68,494 72,236 61,459 58,635 61,506 52,524 45,537 
			 North West 262,896 286,734 238,617 232,729 243,650 212,514 187,107 
			 (1) Duplicate calls for incidents counted individually  Source: Annual Returns from Fire and Rescue Services to Communities and Local Government 
		
	
	
		
			  Malicious false alarm calls handled, fire and rescue services in the north-west, 2005-06 to 2008-09( 1) 
			   2002-03 to 2004-05( 1)  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Cheshire - 785 636 570 432 
			 Cumbria - 450 447 407 349 
			 Greater Manchester - 5,128 5,061 4,493 3,062 
			 Lancashire - 1,758 1,714 1,476 1,498 
			 Merseyside - 1,568 1,188 1,024 723 
			 North West - 9,689 9,046 7,970 6,064 
			 (1) Data prior to 2005-06 not held centrally  Source: Annual Returns from Fire and Rescue Services to Communities and Local Government

Home Information Packs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of written correspondence sent by the Home Department's Design and Technology Alliance to his Department on inclusion of a home security assessment as part of a home information pack.

Ian Austin: We are not aware of any correspondence with the Design and Technology Alliance about the inclusion of a home security assessment in the home information pack.

Homelessness: Reading Berkshire

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he made of the number of people homeless in Reading East constituency in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: Homelessness prevention measures funded by Communities and Local Government have had a major impact. In the last six years the quarterly level of statutory homelessness cases has reduced by 71 per cent.
	Information on homelessness is not collected at constituency level.
	Summary tables including the number of households accepted as owed a main homelessness duty by each local authority as at the end of each year between 1997-98 and 2008-09 have been deposited in the Library of the House as stated in the question from the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 23 June 2009,  Official Report, column 843W.
	Information has also been collected and reported since 1998 on the number of people who sleep rough-i.e., those who are literally roofless on a single night. Local authority data and count guidance can be found on the CLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/roughsleeping2009

Homes and Communities Agency: Hotels

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 271-72W, on housing: conferences, how much of the Homes and Communities Agency's expenditure on accommodation was related to  (a) hotel room bookings and  (b) use of mini-bar and dining facilities.

Barbara Follett: The cost of hotel room bookings for the HCA's attendance at the MIPIM conference in March 2010 was: £4,282 plus a transaction fee of £124.
	No costs were incurred for use of the mini bar or dining.

Homes and Communities Agency: Hotels

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 271-72W, on housing: conferences, in which hotel  (a) Homes and Communities Agency employees and  (b) his Department's officials were accommodated for the MIPIM International Property Conference 2009.

Barbara Follett: For HCA attendees, three self-catering apartments were hired at a minimum hire of one week and were used for hosting key meetings and briefings and offering basic office facilities.
	Departmental officials stayed in Apartment 22, 6 Rue Moliere.

Homes and Communities Agency: Travel

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 271-72W, on housing: conferences, how much of the Homes and Communities Agency's expenditure on travel was for  (a) rail fares,  (b) taxis and  (c) air travel.

Barbara Follett: The total return air travel cost was £1,528. Airport car transfer Nice/Cannes was €270.
	No rail costs were incurred.

Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what local priorities the Homes and Communities Agency has set for the Investment Statement of each region; and what assessment he has made of the progress of each region in meeting each regional priority target in  (a) each of the last three years and  (b) the spending period 2008-11.

John Healey: For the National Affordable Housing Programme 2008-11, the Housing Corporation included as part of their prospectus a summary of regional priorities based on regional assemblies' regional housing strategies. In addition, each Housing Corporation region produced an investment statement setting out the regional investment priorities. The link to the website is as follows:
	http://www.housingcorp.gov.uk/server/show/nav.394
	The Housing Corporation and now the Homes and Communities Agency publish regional investment statements on their website on a quarterly basis. The links to the websites are as follows:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/inyourarea
	http://www.housingcorp.gov.uk/server/show/nav.394
	Investment decisions taken by the Homes and Communities Agency must fit with local, regional and national priorities.
	The Housing Corporation for 2007-08 published an outturn statement reporting on delivery in each region in that particular year on their website, in addition to their annual report.

Housing: Asbestos

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps  (a) local authorities,  (b) housing associations and  (c) owners of other publicly-funded housing are required to take in order to (i) remove and (ii) mitigate risks from asbestos in their properties; what requirements there are to provide information to tenants on the (A) presence of and (B) risks from asbestos; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: All sectors of social housing are covered by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) which lists asbestos as potential category 1 hazard. In assessing asbestos as a hazard, landlords need to take account of its location, potential for damage, extent of any present damage and whether it is a chrysotile or amphibole product.
	Asbestos removal should be carried out in conjunction with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance and should normally be done by a contractor licensed by the Health and Safety Executive. Mitigation of risk from asbestos is covered in the HHSRS guidance, section 4, full detail as are available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/142631.pdf
	There is no requirement for social landlords to inform residents about the presence of asbestos in their stock. The HHSRS guidance advises that where asbestos has been identified as present, the material should be in good condition, sealed, inaccessible, labelled and the location recorded by the landlord.
	Information on the risk from asbestos is available to tenants from local authorities, the Health and Safety Executive and the Direct.gov website. There is no requirement for landlords to provide this information although many choose to do so.

Housing: Asylum

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to pages 125 and 126 of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's report on Refugees and asylum seekers: a review from an equality and human rights perspective, whether  (a) the Housing Corporation and  (b) the Homes and Communities Agency had any role in the provision of accommodation to asylum seekers; and what records his Department holds of the housing associations which (i) provide and (ii) facilitate accommodation for asylum seekers.

John Healey: The Housing Corporation did not have a direct role in the provision of housing for asylum seekers. However, the Corporation did fund research and develop a range of policies that aimed to improve conditions for refugee communities and new migrants.
	Asylum seekers do not have access to public funds and are therefore not entitled to the benefits of social housing. Consequently, the Homes and Communities Agency cannot develop housing for them.
	However, the HCA can develop homes which refugees (who do have a form of leave which allows them some access to public funds) can access.
	Information about refugees housed by housing associations is captured in two sets of statistics via the:
	1. Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR) which contains information about the number of units intended for refugees, and asylum seekers under the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) contracts:
	www.rsrsurvey.co.uk
	2. Continuous Recording of Lettings and Sales (CORE) which captures information about new lettings including, since April 2006, where tenants were housed by the Asylum Support Service immediately before their new letting:
	https://core.tenantservicesauthority.org
	3. Home Office collect figures on the number of asylum applications each year in their control of immigration quarterly stats release:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Housing: Capital Investment

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what capital projects the Homes and Communities Agency will have in 2010-11; and what the budget for each is in that year.

John Healey: Details of the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) planned expenditure by programme for 2010-11 can be found in HCA's Corporate Plan. Details of all of HCA's approved capital projects for 2010-11 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing: Conferences

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by  (a) his Department and  (b) the Homes and Communities Agency on accreditation for the MIPIM international property conference in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009; and how much has been spent in 2010 to date.

Barbara Follett: The Department made the following spend on accreditation at the MIPIM conference in the years given:
	Accreditation was included as part of a participation package equating to £675 (plus VAT) per delegate in 2007;
	Accreditation was included as part of a participation package equating to £700 (plus VAT) per delegate in 2008; and
	£1,500 (plus VAT) in 2009.
	No departmental Ministers or officials attended in 2010.
	The Homes and Communities Agency was established in December 2008 and has, therefore, only attended the conference in 2009 and 2010. Its spend on accreditation was:
	£10,862 in 2009; and
	£2,981 in 2010.
	These costs were inclusive of taxes and foreign currency charges.

Housing: Conferences

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff of the Homes and Communities Agency will attend the MIPIM international property conference in March 2010.

Barbara Follett: Two delegates from the Homes and Communities Agency attended the conference.

Housing: Conferences

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 272-73W, on housing: conferences, what the job title was of each Homes and Communities Agency employee who attended the MIPIM International Property Conference 2009.

Barbara Follett: The Homes and Communities Agency had seven officials in attendance at the MIPIM conference in 2009. Their job titles are as follows:
	Chairman
	Chief Executive
	Director New Ventures and Partnerships
	Head of Marketing
	Senior Corporate Marketing Executive
	Corporate Marketing Executive.

Housing: Construction

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many £60,000 homes have been built following the Design for Manufacture competition to date; in which locations have such homes been built; and what the average sale price has been;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on the construction costs of new housing of the Design for Manufacture competition.

Ian Austin: The Design for Manufacture competition launched in April 2005 is run by the Homes and Communities Agency (formerly English Partnerships) on behalf of Communities and Local Government. The competition was the Government's challenge to the housebuilding industry to build high-quality, well-designed homes for £60,000. The figure of £60,000 relates to a target cost for building a two bedroom home and does not reflect the sale price. Developers are responsible for final sales for individual homes setting prices in accordance with local market conditions. The programme comprising ten sites is currently on track to deliver the target of building 30 per cent. of the homes on each site for £60,000 The Homes and Communities Agency will report back on the exact number of £60,000 homes built on each site following completion of the programme. The sites and target number of £60,000 homes to be built are listed in the following table.
	A detailed publication on the lessons learned so far from the Design for Manufacture competition was published by English Partnerships in June 2006. It sets out the 10 initial lessons learnt including one about constructions costs. The overall assessment was that these costs can be controlled whilst at the same time improving the quality of homes being developed.
	The Design for Manufacture lessons learnt publication is available at:
	http://www.designformanufacture.info/lessonslearnt.htm
	The Homes and Communities Agency intend publishing Lessons Learnt II shortly.
	
		
			  Sites  Total number of homes to be built  Target total of £60,000 homes to be built( 1) 
			 Oxley Park, Milton Keynes 145 56 
			 Allerton Bywater Millennium Community, Leeds 151 46 
			 Upton, Northampton 158 50 
			 Renny Lodge, Newport Pagnell 68 21 
			 School Road, Hastings 12 4 
			 Horns Cross, Dartford 37 13 
			 Linton Hospital, Maidstone 150 45 
			 Park Prewett, Basingstoke 137 42 
			 Oxford Road, Aylesbury 102 40 
			 Rowan Road, Merton 217 65 
			 (1) Unable to report back on number of completed £60,000 homes until the programme is over and all sites fully built out and developed.

Housing: Olympic Games 2012

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been provided by  (a) his Department and  (b) the Homes and Communities Agency for the development of the Olympic Village on the London 2012 Olympic Games site; and how much more funding he expects to be provided.

Shahid Malik: Communities and Local Government contributes alongside other funding departments within the overall £9.325 billion Olympic Budget. The gross construction cost of the village is £l,095 million. This includes post-games transformation for legacy use. The Homes and Communities Agency is providing a grant of £110 million to Triathlon Homes toward the social housing element which is included in the overall cost. No further funding is expected to be provided.

Housing: Olympic Games 2012

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the homes provided in the Olympic Village after the London 2012 Olympics  (a) will be (i) flats and (ii) houses and  (b) will have (A) one, (B) two and (C) three or more bedrooms.

Shahid Malik: There will be 2,818 apartments and town houses in the Olympic Village, 1,379 of which will be affordable. The following table sets out the current plans for different tenures.
	
		
			   Market  Intermediate  Social rented  Additional intermediate 
			 4 bed town houses 101 - 160 - 
			 3 bed (including town houses) 453 23 162 98 
			 2 bed 725 190 287 234 
			 1 bed 155 116 66 43 
			 Studio 5 - - -

Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much is charged by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment for Building for Life assessor accreditation.

Ian Austin: Building for Life assessor accreditation is free of charge for one officer from each English local authority. Additional officers are charged £360.

Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local planning authority staff have been trained by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment to become accredited Building for Life assessors.

Ian Austin: 404 local authority officers have started the training since the programme started in January 2009. Of these, 229 have now completed the full accreditation.

Kent

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what schemes in Kent Thameside have received funding from his Department and its executive agencies in each of the last five years; and how much funding was allocated to each of those schemes.

Shahid Malik: The following table sets out the funding provided by the Thames Gateway programme to projects in Kent Thameside in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Project  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 A2 Activity Park and Northfleet Urban Area - - - 311,095 879,375 
			 Acquisition of Beauwater Sports Ground 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Action Now-Gravesend Heritage Quarter 0 0 139,078 0 0 
			 Brooklands Lakes improvements and feasibility study 0 0 93,829 0 0 
			 Cobham Heritage Park: South Lodge and Barn 0 0 779,000 300,000 0 
			 Cobham Heritage Park: West Park 0 0 359,976 0 0 
			 Communities Learning Facilities 238,628 0 0 0 0 
			 Creating Greener Lifestyles and Green Gym 0 0 21,400 0 0 
			 Darenth Sporting Connections 0 0 668,000 0 0 
			 Darenth Woods Green Links Project 0 0 95,300 0 0 
			 Dartford Creek investigations 0 0 0 20,000 930,000 
			 Dartford Greenheart 0 0 0 40,000 824,909 
			 Dartford Heath 0 0 38,680 0 0 
			 Dartford Northern Gateway-CPO Strategy 0 0 0 420,000 425,000 
			 Dartford Town Centre : Darenth Gateway Study 100,000 0 0 0 0 
			 Dartford Town Centre : Darenth Valley Path 0 38,655 297,345 0 0 
			 Dartford Town Centre : Environmental Improvements 0 413,779 1,071,221 0 0 
			 Dartford Town Centre : Market Street Acquisition 160,000 0 0 0 0 
			 Dartford Town Centre : Matrix Centre Acquisition 1,923,000 0 0 0 0 
			 Dartford Town Centre : Milestone Garage Acquisition 350,000 0 0 0 0 
			 Dartford Town Centre : Steam Crane Wharf Works 133,800 0 0 0 0 
			 Dartford Town Centre : Unwins Depot 7,952,000 169,000 129,000 0 0 
			 Dartford Town Centre Land Acquisition 3,545,000 0 0 0 0 
			 Dartford Town Centre Townscape Heritage Initiative 0 0 59,147 0 0 
			 Dartford Town Centre: Glaxo East Site 22,183 0 0 0 0 
			 Dartford Town Centre: Viability and Master Planning 329,891 0 0 0 0 
			 Ebbsfleet Connections 0 0 48,200 0 0 
			 Enhancing The Enchanted Woodland 0 0 26,500 0 0 
			 Fastrack-Additional LTP Assessment 27,315 0 0 0 0 
			 Fastrack-Delivery of the Project 0 320,681 795,154 0 0 
			 Fastrack-Implementation Strategy Study 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Fastrack: Northfleet Embankment 0 0 32,748 0 0 
			 Fastrack: PPP/PFI Project Development 936,752 0 0 0 0 
			 Fastrack: Vehicle Procurement 2,500,805 0 0 0 0 
			 Flying Start: Development Plan 0 100,000 0 0 0 
			 Gateway Knowledge Alliance: Wilmington Hall School 0 30,700 0 0 0 
			 GKA: North Kent Construction Skills Centres 0 0 2,200,000 0 0 
			 GKA: Darent Federation Axton Chase 17,450 0 0 0 0 
			 GKA: Darent Federation Dartford 17,450 0 0 0 0 
			 GKA: Northfleet Arts Centre 35,000 0 0 0 0 
			 GKA: Project Office Retention 0 29,307 0 0 0 
			 GKA: Temple School 60,000 0 0 0 0 
			 GKA: Thamesview School 60,000 0 0 0 0 
			 GKA: Westlands School 60,000 0 0 0 0 
			 Gravesend Community Woodland: Acquisitions 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gravesend Community Woodland: Consultation 164,000 166,000 86,000 0 0 
			 Gravesend Community Woodland: Contingency 38,831 109,590 72,518 0 0 
			 Gravesend Community Woodland: Habitat 5,000 713,000 52,000 0 0 
			 Gravesend Community Woodland: Infrastructure 40,000 884,000 28,000 0 0 
			 Gravesend Community Woodland: Initial Site Works 135,000 0 0 0 0 
			 Gravesend Community Woodland: Site Delivery Team 122,000 154,000 125,000 0 0 
			 Gravesend Community Woodland: A2 Footbridges 0 766,971 203,999 0 0 
			 Gravesend Old Town Hall phase 1 0 0 0 950,000 0 
			 Gravesend Riverside Leisure area 0 0 134,969 0 0 
			 Gravesend Station Quarter Masterplan 58,300 0 0 0 0 
			 Gravesend Town Centre Initiatives 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gravesend Transport Quarter 0 0 0 750,000 3,000,000 
			 Gravesend Transport Quarter Pt A 0 25,000 199,788 0 0 
			 Great Expectations: Thames and Medway Canal Cluster 0 0 0 77,000 1,331,310 
			 Green Cluster MasterPlans for North Kent 0 0 170,000 0 0 
			 Green Grid: Ancient Woodlands Country Park 3,700 0 0 0 0 
			 Green Grid: CAMS 377,591 0 0 0 0 
			 Green Grid: Central Plaza 178,664 0 0 0 0 
			 Green Grid: Dartford Heath 153,778 0 0 0 0 
			 Green Grid: Enhancement of Darent Valley study 20,000 0 0 0 0 
			 Green Grid: Hillyfields 142,986 0 0 0 0 
			 Green Grid: Managing the Marshes 18,429 0 0 0 0 
			 Green Grid: Ordnance Road Study 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Green Grid: Shorne Wood Country Park 762,730 0 0 0 0 
			 Green Grid: Swanscombe Heritage Park 142,089 0 0 0 0 
			 Heritage Quarter Design 175,207 0 0 0 0 
			 Homes and Roads Engineering Studies 0 220,000 423,557 0 0 
			 Innovation Centre 49,695 1,830,280 1,620,025 0 0 
			 Jeskyns Additional Spend 0 0 45,000 0 0 
			 Managing the Marshes-Dartford 1,045,200 0 0 0 0 
			 North East Gravesend : Accommodating Excellence 500,000 0 0 0 0 
			 North East Gravesend: Gravesend/Canal Basin 0 250,000 0 -83,919 0 
			 North East Gravesend: Viability and Master Planning 226,720 0 0 0 0 
			 North Kent Environment: Ranscombe Farm 23,465 0 10,449 0 0 
			 North Kent Environment: Regional Park 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Norfhfleet Embankment: Red Lion Wharf 0 0 0 25,000 220,000 
			 Northfleet Embankment fees 0 0 0 125,000 200,000 
			 Northfleet Urban Country Park 0 0 76,423 0 0 
			 Roman Road Cycle Path 0 0 131,425 0 0 
			 SCC Sports Complex 0 310,000 0 0 0 
			 SEEDA Thames Gateway Project Delivery 0 300,000 220,000 -28,288 0 
			 Shorne Marshes and Shornemead Fort 0 2,788 172,212 -5,946 0 
			 SRC: Transport Assessment and Feasibility Study 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stone Discovery Park Phase 1 0 0 62,000 0 0 
			 Strategic Site Acquisition Strategy and Action Plan 0 0 0 0 0 
			 SUSCON Skills and Learning Centre 0 0 134,000 0 0 
			 SUSCON Skills Academy 0 0 0 0 3,000,000 
			 Swanscombe Heritage Park 0 0 112,193 0 0 
			 Swanscombe Regeneration 404,129 0 0 0 0 
			 Swanscome Peninsula Feasibility Study 0 0 0 71,000 0 
			 Thames and Medway Canal Study 0 0 60,667 0 0 
			 The Bridge Innovation Lab 0 0 197,942 1 0 
			 The Old Rectory 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Town Centre Regeneration Gravesend 1,229,480 0 0 0 0 
			 TT Demolition 0 0 0 0 1,250,000 
			 Vocational Learning Centres 1,960,000 0 0 0 0

Leasehold Valuation Tribunal

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many cases were brought to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal by local authority leaseholders in each local authority area in each year since 2005-06; and how many of these were wholly or partially upheld.

John Healey: The number of cases brought to the leasehold valuation tribunal by local authority leaseholders in each local authority area from 2005 to 2010 are shown in the following table. It is not possible to say how many of these were wholly or partially upheld without disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Local authority  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010 
			  Eastern   
			 Braintree 0 0 0 2 0 0 
			 Brentwood 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Colchester 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Dacorum 0 0 0 1 1 0 
			 Harlow 0 3 1 0 1 0 
			 Norwich 1 1 1 0 4 0 
			 Oxford 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Slough 0 1 1 2 0 0 
			 Southend-on-Sea 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 St. Albans 1 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Tendring 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Three Rivers 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			
			  London   
			 Barking and Dagenham 3 1 1 2 1 0 
			 Barnet 1 1 1 2 0 0 
			 Brent 4 1 0 4 1 0 
			 Camden 17 28 23 22 21 5 
			 City of London 1 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Croydon 0 0 1 2 1 0 
			 Ealing 2 0 0 1 2 1 
			 Enfield 1 1 0 1 0 0 
			 Greenwich 10 13 9 2 6 2 
			 Hackney 4 0 4 3 2 2 
			 Haringey 0 3 0 0 0 0 
			 Harrow 0 0 0 2 0 0 
			 Havering 1 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 0 6 2 0 1 0 
			 Hounslow 0 3 0 0 0 1 
			 Islington 5 7 7 0 1 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1 3 2 6 10 2 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Lambeth 12 51 15 4 4 0 
			 Lewisham 1 2 4 2 2 1 
			 Merton 0 4 0 0 0 0 
			 Newham 1 3 5 3 1 2 
			 Redbridge 0 0 2 2 1 1 
			 Southwark 16 30 18 16 29 6 
			 Sutton 2 0 0 2 0 0 
			 Tower Hamlets 2 4 6 1 1 0 
			 Waltham Forest 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Wandsworth 1 5 3 2 7 0 
			 Westminster 2 0 0 6 1 0 
			
			  Midlands area   
			 Birmingham 1 6 1 4 8 0 
			 Bromsgrove 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Broxtowe 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Dudley 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Leicester 2 1 1 1 0 2 
			 Lichfield 6 11 1 3 0 0 
			 North Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Sandwell 1 0 2 4 0 0 
			 Solihull 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Tamworth 3 4 0 0 0 0 
			
			  Northern   
			 Berwick upon-Tweed 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Burnley 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Leeds 1 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Liverpool 0 0 0 2 2 0 
			 Manchester 0 2 1 4 1 0 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1 0 0 0 1 1 
			 North East Lincolnshire 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Oldham 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Rochdale 0 1 0 1 0 0 
			 Sheffield 0 1 1 0 4 0 
			 South Lakeland 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 South Tyneside 0 0 0 1 1 1 
			 Stockport 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			
			  Southern   
			 Adur 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Arun 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Ashford 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Brighton and Hove 0 2 1 1 0 0 
			 City of Bristol 0 4 1 1 1 0 
			 Cheltenham 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Dartford 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Dover 1 4 1 0 0 0 
			 Guildford 0 0 0 0 5 0 
			 Medway 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Plymouth 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Poole 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Portsmouth 0 0 1 1 1 0 
			 Shepway 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Southampton 1 2 0 0 2 0 
			 Swindon 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Torridge 1 0 0 0 0 0

Local Authority Business Growth Incentives Scheme: Cheshire

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms were used by his Department in determining the level of Local Authorities Business Growth Incentives Scheme grants allocated to  (a) East Cheshire Local Authority and Council and  (b) West Cheshire Local Authority and Council.

Barbara Follett: The current methodology for the calculation of the LABGI grants, which has applied in 2009-10 and 2010-11, is set out at paragraphs 16 to 19 of the Government's response to its consultation, published in July 2009, which can be viewed at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/1291741.pdf
	The same approach has been applied to all local authorities in England.

Local Government Finance: Northampton

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Government provided in grants to Northampton Borough Council in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2001,  (c) 2005 and  (d) the last year for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Central Government grant 
			   £000 
			 1997-98 13,863 
			 2001-02 15,692 
			 2005-06 18,718 
			 2008-09 22,334 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn Summary (RS) returns. 
		
	
	The definition of central Government grant used here is the sum of formula grant (revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates), and specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF), i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services. In past years, where applicable the standard spending assessment reduction grant and Central Support Protection Grants have also been included. For 2008-09 it also includes Area Based Grant.
	Figures exclude grants outside AEF (i.e. where funding is not for authorities' core services, but is passed to a third party, for example, rent allowances and rebates), capital grants, funding for the local authorities' housing management responsibilities and those grant programmes (such as European funding) where authorities are simply one of the recipients of funding paid towards an area.
	Comparison across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities.

Local Government: War Memorials

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role local authorities have in the construction of new war memorials.

Ian Austin: As has been the case since 1948, planning permission for any war memorial that constituted development would have to be granted by the local planning authority.

Local Housing Allowance

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the  (a) percentage and  (b) cash change in level of local housing allowance in each area for (i) a bedsit, (ii) a one-bedroom property, (iii) a two-bedroom property, (iv) a three-bedroom property and (v) a four-bedroom property when the highest rents are excluded from the calculation.

Helen Goodman: I have been asked to reply.
	The Local Housing Allowance was rolled out from 7 April 2008 and is a more transparent way of calculating the rent element of housing benefit for people living in the deregulated private rented sector who make a new claim for housing benefit or for existing customers who change address.
	Local housing allowance rates are set monthly by the Valuation Office Agency in England, Rent Officers Wales and Rent Service Scotland. They are published monthly by each local authority and at:
	https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/secure/default.aspx
	In Budget 2010 the Government announced that the top 1 per cent. of rents nationally would be removed from the market evidence for all bedroom sizes one to five in the calculation of local housing allowance rates, except the shared room rate. This will take effect for new claims from October 2011 and existing customers will be affected when their benefit rate is reviewed, usually at the anniversary point of their claim.
	The estimates the Department for Work and Pensions have made on the impact of this measure on local housing allowance rates are based on the latest available list of rents from the Valuation Office Agency which relate to April 2009. Due to substantial changes to broad rental market area boundaries and local housing allowance rates since April 2009, and potential for further changes in the near future, it is not appropriate to break these figures down to identify impacts on specific areas.
	According to our estimates, had the policy been introduced in April 2009, the number of customers who would see a decrease in their local housing allowance rate under this measure is around 2 per cent. of the local housing allowance caseload. The average loss for these customers is £24 (at April 2009 prices) although there is large variation on this from area to area and customer to customer. A few customers, such as those in five-bedroom houses in Central London, could see their awards decrease by significant amounts, while others would see their benefit change marginally.

Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many adults of working age were living in income-deprived households in each  (a) local authority area and  (b) constituency according to the most recent indices of multiple deprivation data.

Rosie Winterton: The English Indices of Deprivation have, since 2004, been produced at Lower Level Super Output Area (LSOA) level. LSOAs are smaller than constituencies and are designed to remain consistent in size, and over time, to allow more detailed identification of pockets of deprivation. This also overcomes difficulties in producing statistics for electoral wards and parliamentary constituencies which are associated with frequent boundary changes. There are 32,482 LSOAs in England with an average population of 1,500 people.
	The income scale measure from the local authority summaries for the 2007 indices represent the number of people within an area experiencing income deprivation. The local authority summaries can be downloaded from the CLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/xls/576504.xls

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to reply to the letter of 15 February 2010 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr J. Skelton.

Ian Austin: A reply was sent on 29 March 2010.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in each constituency have received financial support under the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme to date.

John Healey: For management information on Homeowners Mortgage Support I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1297W. This information is not monitored at constituency level.

Non-domestic Rates: Licensed Premises

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether new requirements on licensed premises will be considered a material change of circumstances by the Valuation Office Agency for the purposes of business rate valuations and revaluations.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	Whether or not any of the new requirements on licensed premises will constitute a material change in circumstances in the context of non-domestic rating valuations is dependent on the matter in question coming within the definition of such circumstances contained in schedule 6 paragraph 2(7) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. Guidance on the interpretation of these provisions, as informed by legal advice and decisions of the courts, is contained within the Valuation Office Agency's Rating Manual in Volume 2-Section 5. This is available online under the publications section of the VOA's website at:
	www.voa.gov.uk

Non-domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his estimate is of the amount of retrospective business rate payments  (a) owed by newly-assessed port companies,  (b) paid in full by such companies to date and  (c) paid in first instalments under the scheme for paying rates off over eight years; how many companies have (i) paid in full and (ii) paid a first instalment; and what the estimated cost of the deferral scheme is to the public purse.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 25 March 2010
	As at December 23 2009, the Valuation Office Agency have advised my department that 724 newly assessed, port based properties are liable for backdated Rates to April 1 2005.
	An estimate of the monetary value of the backdated liabilities was made in respect of all ratepayers (not just port based properties) and was published in the impact assessment alongside the Explanatory Memorandum for the Non-Domestic Rating (Collection and Enforcement) (Local Lists) (England) (Amendment) regulations 2009:
	http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/em/uksiem_20090204_en.pdf
	This states that the estimated backdated liability, before the application of any relief's, is forecast to be approximately £131 million and the cost of the scheme to be approximately £33 million.
	The Government have listened to the concerns of businesses with significant and unexpected backdated bills, including some situated in ports. It has legislated to enable such bills to be repaid over an unprecedented eight years rather than in a single instalment, helping affected businesses to manage the impact on their cash flows during the downturn by reducing the amount they are required to pay now by 87.5 per cent.
	As at 8 October 2009, local authorities have reported that ratepayers occupying 221 properties within ports had fully discharged their backdated liability and ratepayers occupying a further 200 business properties within ports had been granted a schedule of payments. The Government do not have information on how many payments, or of what amount, the 200 properties with schedule of payments agreements have made.

Non-domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals for a moratorium on issuing of retrospective business rate demands on newly-assessed port companies.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 25 March 2010
	There are currently no plans to introduce a moratorium.
	The Government have listened to the concerns of businesses with significant and unexpected backdated bills, including some within ports. They have legislated to enable such bills to be repaid over an unprecedented eight years rather than in a single instalment, helping affected businesses to manage the impact on their cash flows during the downturn by reducing the amount they are required to pay now by 87.5 per cent.
	As at 8 October 2009, local authorities have reported that ratepayers occupying 221 properties within ports had fully discharged their backdated liability and ratepayers occupying a further 200 business properties within ports had been granted a schedule of payments.

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for fast-track reassessment of retrospective business rates the Valuation Office Agency has received to date; and how many weeks the Valuation Office Agency has taken to conduct such reassessment in the case of each  (a) completed and  (b) uncompleted application to date.

Barbara Follett: In fairness to all ratepayers, the Valuation Office Agency has applied the fast track arrangements to all rating appeals on properties (hereditaments) within the 55 ports and container terminals in England and Wales, not just those properties that have had a retrospective assessment back to 1 April 2005.
	The fast track arrangements were introduced on 24 November 2008. Up to 17 March 2010, 1,026 appeals have been subject to the fast track arrangements,  (a) 644 appeals have been resolved and the average time taken to conclude each appeal has been 24 weeks.  (b) There are 382 appeals outstanding and the average discussion time for these appeals is 30 weeks.

Non-domestic Rates: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many business premises in York have rateable values for 2010-11 of  (a) less than £6,000 and  (b) between £6,000 and £12,000; and how many of each of these categories of premises qualify for small business rate relief.

Barbara Follett: There are 1,850 hereditaments with a rateable value less than, or equal to, £6,000 and 1,300 hereditaments with a rateable value greater than £6,000 and less than, or equal to, £12,000 in the City of York
	The report Small Business Rate Relief-improving evidence on eligibility and take-up was published on December 9 2009 and it estimates that of the approximately 1.2 million non-domestic properties in England which fall below the current rateable value (RV) thresholds for SBRR, around 575,000 are occupied by eligible small businesses. This report has been validated by an independent peer review and is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/
	This methodology can only be applied to England as a whole. Therefore, it is not possible to estimate how many non-domestic properties qualify for SBRR in the City of York.
	However, new experimental statistics on the number of hereditaments claiming small business rate relief (SBRR) published on the Communities and Local Government website on 25 February 2010, show that 462,000 hereditaments in England were benefiting from SBRR on December 31st 2008.
	By applying that figure to the eligibility estimates made for the 2005 rating list it is estimated that around 80 per cent. of eligible hereditaments in England were claiming SBRR in 2008-09 - see table 1 as follows.
	Relief granted to small businesses has increased since SBRR was introduced-from £202 million in 2005-06 to £298 million in 2008-09. This represents a real terms rise of 34 per cent. Furthermore, in 2008-09, 92 per cent. of the total relief available was claimed-see table as follows.
	This statistical release is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/sbrrfeb2010
	
		
			  Table 1: Take-up of SBRR-numbers claiming 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Number of hereditaments actually claiming SBRR (thousands) 396 433 462 
			 Number of hereditaments estimated to be occupied by eligible small businesses (thousands) 575 575 575 
			 Percentage of estimated eligible actually claiming 69 75 80 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Take-up of SBRR 2005-06 to 2008-09-relief 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Total relief that would be paid out if all properties estimated to be occupied by eligible small businesses were to claim(1): (£ million) 295 300 315 325 
			 Relief actually claimed: (£ million) 202 237 259 298 
			 Percentage take-up(2): 69 78 83 92 
			 (1) For details of how this estimate was made please see the paper Small business rate relief-improving evidence on eligibility and take-up: Methodology. (2) Percentage of total relief, which would be paid if all eligible small businesses claimed it, that was actually paid.

Parallel Place Reviews

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which local authority areas parallel place reviews are being undertaken.

Rosie Winterton: We do not have a list of all of the parallel places undertaking Total Place type activity. The Total Place pilots have demonstrated that the application of Total Place principles can bring benefits in service improvements and savings to all places and we would encourage all places to pursue this agenda.

Repossession Orders: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps he has taken to assist homeowners at risk of repossession in  (a) Coventry and  (b) the West Midlands.

John Healey: Government have taken early and concerted action to provide people facing the threat of repossession with help at every stage of the process. Recent figures indicate that actions taken to help families avoid repossession are having some impact-more families are getting help to stay in their home. Total repossessions in 2009 were 46,000-39 per cent. fewer than originally predicted by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and around half the rate of repossessions in the last recession in 1991.
	Coventry has been identified as a repossession hotspot and as such has been specifically targeted through the preventing repossessions awareness campaign.

Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many units of social housing have been sold on the open market by registered social landlords  (a) nationally and  (b) in London in the last five years.

Ian Austin: The number of registered social landlord sales to the private sector in England for the last five years are published by the Tenant Services Authority.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Disposals to the private sector 3,157 2,734 3,257 1,722 1,457 
			 Other disposals 2,399 1,202 1,235 1,067 950 
			 Total 5,556 3,936 4,492 2,789 2,407 
			 Part K, lines 20 to 24 (2006-07 to 2008-09) Part K, lines 17 to 21 (2005-06) Part K, lines 18 to 22 (2004-05)  Notes: 1. Units: self-contained and shared bedspaces combined. 2. From 2005-06, RSLs that completed the short form were not required to complete this Part K. 3. From 2006-07, short returns were completed by RSLs who own and/or manage 999 units or less (previously this threshold was less than 250 units). 4. Figures may not add up due to rounding. 5. As disposals are in the long form only, this has been re-calculated for 2005-06 to reflect the threshold change in 2006-07.  Source: Regulatory and Statistical Returns by Registered Social Landlords reported to the Tenant Services Authority. 
		
	
	As RSLs operate across regional boundaries and the data are reported as totals by each RSL, it is not possible to provide reliable estimates for London only.
	It should be noted that a large (but unquantifiable) proportion of disposals on the open market are of dwellings built specifically for outright sale, the proceeds of which support the social housing programme.

Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of households in London who are  (a) social tenants and  (b) on housing waiting lists have household incomes above (i) £30,000, (ii) £40,000 (iii) £50,000 and (iv) £60,000.

Ian Austin: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Rented Housing: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many housing nominations have been made by each London local authority in each London sub-regional partnership since the inception of such partnerships.

John Healey: This information is not held by my Department.

Standards Board for England: Procurement

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 26 February 2010,  Official Report, column 778W, on the Standards Board for England: procurement, how much was spent on contracts with each supplier of the  (a) Standards Board for England and  (b) Homes and Communities Agency in 2008-09.

John Healey: A new list for both bodies, now also showing how much was spent with each supplier in 2008-09, has been deposited in the Library of the House. As the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) was established on 1 December 2008, the figures for the HCA cover only 1 December 2008 to 31 March 2009. Further to my earlier answer referred to above, a small number of additional suppliers to the Standards Board have been identified and these have been included in the new list.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many complaints his Department has received on MyDeposits.co.uk in each year since its inception.

Ian Austin: The Department has no role in dealing with complaints about the tenancy deposit protection scheme providers. Complaints about the handling of tenancy deposit protection cases are dealt with by the three scheme providers through their own formal complaints procedures.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will review the operation of the Housing Act 2004 in respect of the regulation of licensed deposit-takers for the purpose of protecting tenants' deposits, with particular reference to MyDeposits.co.uk.

Ian Austin: As with any new legislation, we are monitoring the implementation of the tenancy deposit protection provisions in the Housing Act 2004. However, we have no plans to make any amendments to the legislation at present.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2010,  Official Report, column 720W, on travelling people: caravan sites, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Inspector's Handbook.

Shahid Malik: A final copy of the Inspectors' Handbook chapter relating to Gypsy and Traveller Appeals will be placed in the Library of the House when it is published.

Warm Front Scheme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to provide funding to local authorities for the purpose of assisting them to meet the new Warm Homes standard; what methodology will be used to assess compliance with that standard; and what timetable he has set for that standard to be met.

John Healey: Warm Homes, Greener Homes: A Strategy for Household Energy Management explains that the delivery of the new Warm Homes standard will be supported by a new energy company obligation and the Renewable Heat Incentive. It also explains how the Department will now work with the social housing sector to develop the detail of the standard, the timing of its delivery, and the methodology for assessing how and when it will be met.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for which wind farms planning permission was  (a) granted and  (b) refused at appeal by the Planning Inspectorate in each of the last five years; and for what reasons in each case.

Ian Austin: There were a total of 67 appeals, relating to more than one wind turbine, decided between 2005 and 2009. The outcomes for these cases are shown in the table.
	
		
			   (a) Granted/granted in part  (b) Refused 
			 2005 3 0 
			 2006 1 7 
			 2007 2 5 
			 2008 9 9 
			 2009 22 9 
		
	
	The reasons for the outcome in each case were different, as each case was considered on its individual merits. The reasons are shown on the individual decisions. Copies of 56 of the appeal decisions have today been placed in the Library of the House. The files and formal appeal decisions for the remaining 11 cases are no longer held by the Planning Inspectorate.